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SEP  23  1918 


BV  4017  .G467 
George,  R.  j.  1844-1911 
Lectures  in  pastoral 
t heo logy 


LECTURES  IN 
PASTORAL  THEOLOGY 

SEP  23  1918 
R.  J.  Jeorge      ^^LOSICAlSlj^ 

PROFESSOR  OF  THEOLOGY  AND  CHURCH  HISTORY  IN  THE 
COVENANTER  SEMINARY,  ALLEGHENY,  PA.,  1892-I9IO 


SECOND  SERIES 
PASTOR  AND  PEOPLE 


WITH   AN  INTRODUCTION 

By  rev.  prof.  D.  B.  WILLSON,  D.D. 


NEW    YORK 

CHRISTIAN  NATION  PUBLISHING  CO. 

1914 


TO 
WILLIAM  SLATER 


FOREWORD 

Rev.  W.  McLeod  George,  the  writer  of  the  Foreword 

for  the  First  Series  of  these  Lectures,  passed  away  on 
the  2pth  of  September,  ipi2. 

In  writing  this  Foreword,  it  is  with  the  memory  of 
many  years  as  an  associate  of  the  author  —  in  the  days 
of  his  student  life  in  the  Seminary,  and  also  during  the 
period  of  his  professorship  here. 

Many  fresh  from  University  studies,  take  chairs  as 
teachers  of  the  on-coming  ministry,  and  knowing 
naught  of  the  joys  and  sorrows  of  Pastoral  Care.  This 
teacher  had  served  many  years  as  a  pastor,  and  had 
gathered  to  himself  the  love  of  an  attached  people.  He 
was  an  under-shepherd  of  the  Great  Shepherd  of  the 
sheep.  He  was  a  faithful  shepherd;  and  these  Lec- 
tures enter  into  the  details  of  a  pastor's  life  in  a  way 
that  cannot  but  be  helpful  to  pastors  and  people. 

D.    B.    WiLLSON. 

Reformed  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary, 
Pittsburgh,  Pa. 


CONTENTS 

PART  I  —  THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  CONGREGATION 

LECTURE  ^^^^ 

I    Organizing   for  Work i 

n     Organizing  for  Work   (Continued)    ....      9 

HI     Getting  the  People  to  Work I7 

IV    The  Prayer- meeting 28 

V    The  Prayer- meeting  — Helps  and  Hindr.\nces    40 
VI    The  Relation  of  the  Sabbath  School  to  the 

Church 53 

VII    The  Relation  of  the  Pastor  to  the  Sabbath 

School 63 

VIII     The  Pastor  and  the  Teachers'  Normal  Class    71 

IX    The  Pastor  and  the  Teachers'  Meeting     .     .     82 

X    The  jManagement  of  the  Sabbath  School  .     .     93 

XI    The  Graded  System 106 

XII    The  Home  Department 115 

XIII  Young   People's   Societies 124 

XIV  The  Pastor  and  the  Young  People's  Society  13S 
XV    The  Pastor  and  the  Missionary  Societies     .  146 

PART  II  — THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  CHURCH 
COURTS 

XVI  The  Pastor  in  the  Session I57 

XVII  The  Reception  of  :Members 165 

XVIII  The  Election  of  Officers I74 

XIX  The  Ordination  and  Installation  of  Officers  181 


CONTENTS 

LECTURE  PAGE 

XX    The  ExERasE  of  Discipune 189 

XXI    Instituting  Process 200 

XXII    Conducting  a  Trial 210 

XXIII  Issuing  a  Case 219 

XXIV  Removal  of  a  Case  to  a  Higher  Court    .     .     .  229 
XXV  The    Pastor    in    the   Higher   Courts   of   the 

Church 239 


PART  I 

THE    PASTOR 

IN   RELATION    TO   THE    ACTIVITIES 

OF   THE   CONGREGATION 


SECOND  SERIES 


LECTURE  I 

ORGANIZING  FOR  WORK 

The  general  subject  of  the  course  of  lectures  in 
Pastoral  Theology  the  present  year  will  be:  The 
Pastor  in  Relation  to  the  Activities  of  the  Church. 

A  congregation  is  to  be  viewed  as  a  band  of  work- 
ers in  the  Lord's  vineyard  with  the  pastor  at  the  head. 
In  the  upbuilding  of  the  Kingdom  of  God,  the  pastor 
is  to  be  not  only  a  builder,  but  a  wise  Master-Builder 
whose  business  it  is  to  lay  out  the  work  and  direct 
the  efforts  of  the  workmen.  *Tor  the  Son  of  Man  is 
as  a  man  taking  a  far  journey,  who  left  his  house,  and 
gave  authority  to  his  servants,  and  to  every  man 
his  work,  and  commanded  the  porter  to  watch." 
(Mark  xiii,  34.)  There  is  a  vast  amount  of  unused 
moral  power  in  the  church  to-day,  and  the  minister 
who  can  call  out  this  latent  talent  and  direct  it  into 
channels  of  useful  service  confers  an  immense  bless- 
ing on  the  workers  and  gives  a  mighty  impulse  to  the 
work. 

"All  at  it,  and  always  at  it"  is  a  good  motto  for 
pastor  and  people. 

I 

The  Advantages  of  Having  a  Congregation  Well  Or- 
ganized for  Work. 

I.     It  adds  the  strength  of  the  people  to  that  of 

the  pastor. 
Dr.  Thomas  Guthrie  said,  that,  as  he  looked  over 

I 


2  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

his  congregation,  three  solemn  thoughts  passed 
through  his  mind:  ''first,  What  a  great  variety  of 
spiritual  needs  these  people  have;  second,  What 
solemn  changes  a  few  years  will  make  among  them ; 
third,  What  vast  resources  of  power  and  possibilities 
for  usefulness  are  here !  " 

Young  gentlemen,  however  gifted  one  may  be  as  a 
preacher,  he  is  not  successful  as  a  pastor  unless  he 
can  arouse  this  moral  force  to  action,  and  direct  it  to 
systematic  effort  in  upbuilding  the  Kingdom  of  God. 
He  is  not  a  great  general  who  is  merely  a  skillful 
swordsman.  He  must  have  ability  to  organize  an 
army,  to  direct  the  movements  of  battalions,  and 
brigades,  and  regiments;  to  command  the  ready 
obedience  of  all  his  under  officers,  and  to  inspire  the 
rank  and  file  of  his  soldiery  with  enthusiasm,  courage, 
and  devotion. 

The  pastoral  office  demands  the  faculty  of  leader- 
ship. No  amount  of  personal  effort  will  make  up 
for  the  lack  of  ability  to  organize  a  working  force; 
and  a  ministry,  otherwise  weak,  may  become  powerful 
by  being  able  to  command  the  strength  of  the  people. 

Dr.  Wilcox,  in  The  Pastor  and  His  Flock,  says: 
"There  is  some  danger  that  you  young  theologues 
may,  yourselves,  underrate  the  importance  of  setting 
your  people  at  work.  You  may  feel  strong  and  able 
to  carry  things  along,  whether  your  people  bestir 
themselves  or  not.  You  have  little  idea  of  the  folly 
of  that.  Did  you  ever  put  a  bright  reflector  behind 
a  gas  burner?  Did  you  notice  how  it  doubled  the 
light?  Your  people  are  the  reflector  behind  you. 
Lives  from  them  that  harmonize  with  words  from 
you  will  double  the  power  of  the  words.  It  is  a  good 
rule  in  church  work  to  do  nothing  yourself,  that  you 
can  get  some  one  else  to  do  well." 

2.  Christian  work  develops  the  talents  and  in- 
creases the  graces  of  the  people. 


ORGANIZING  FOR  WORK  3 

The  Pastor  who  does  all  the  work  himself  wrongs 
the  flock.  He  deprives  them  of  one  of  the  highest 
privileges  of  the  gospel,  vis,  the  privilege  of  service. 
Talents  increase  by  use.  Grace  grows  by  exercise. 
It  is  perilous  to  the  soul  to  be  awakened  to  a  sense  of 
duty  and  then  fail  to  perform  it.  *'Lord,  what  wilt 
thou  have  me  to  do?"  is  the  natural  inquiry  of  a  new- 
born soul ;  and  woe  to  the  pastor  who  has  no  reply 
to  give !  Experience  shows  that  the  workers  are  the 
growing  members  of  a  congregation,  and  that  the 
drones  die. 

3.     Work  promotes  the  peace  of  a  congregation. 

An  elder,  being  asked  the  secret  of  the  long-con- 
tinued peace  of  his  congregation,  answered:  ''Our 
Pastor  has  kept  us  so  busy  working  that  we  have  had 
no  time  to  fight."  That  is  the  true  Christian  philos- 
ophy. 'Walk  in  the  Spirit  and  ye  shall  not  fulfil  the 
lusts  of  the  flesh."  Keep  the  people  walking  or  they 
will  fall  to  lusting. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  speak  further  of  the  advantages 
of  organization.  Enough  has  been  said  to  show,  that, 
to  be  good  pastors,  you  must  be  good  organizers. 
Some  have  much  more  of  the  faculty  than  others. 
The  more  you  have  of  it,  the  more  encouragement  you 
have  to  exercise  it;  and  the  less  you  have  of  it,  the 
more  you  need  to  cultivate  what  you  have. 

Granting  the  necessity  for  organization,  how  shall 
the  pastor  proceed?  To  a  certain  extent,  the  congre- 
gation is  organized  when  the  pastor  is  placed  over 
it :  it  has  its  Board  of  Elders ;  and  should  have  its 
Board  of  Deacons.  But  there  still  remains  a  two- 
fold work  of  organization :  viz,  organizing  the  of- 
ficers for  systematic,  official  work;  and  organizing 
the  people  for  actual  service,  under  the  officers.  We 
will  consider  these  in  their  order. 


4  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

II 

Organizing  the  Eldership. 

Murphy  says :  "To  the  Elders  of  the  Church,  prop- 
erly belongs  the  management  of  its  spiritual  affairs, 
but  that  is  not  by  any  means  the  whole  of  their  duty. 
They  are  also  to  be  leaders  in  the  various  activities 
for  which  the  united  body  of  God's  people  is  respon- 
sible. It  is  their  duty  to  be  the  counselors  of  the 
pastor  in  devising  and  putting  into  operation  plans 
for  the  better  carrying  on  of  the  Lord's  work.  In 
the  session,  properly,  should  originate  efforts — and 
some  of  them  should  be  originating  constantly — for  in- 
citing, and  vigorously  conducting,  the  work  of  the 
Church.  By  the  Elders,  preeminently,  should  the 
activity  be  carried  forward  as  well  as  supervised."  If 
this  is  true,  and  it  is  true,  the  pastor's  work  as  an 
organizer  must  begin  with  the  eldership. 

I.     The  pastor  should  use  his  influence  to  secure  a 
large  session. 

Of  course  I  mean  large  in  proportion  to  the  size  of 
the  congregation.  It  is  the  business  of  the  session  to 
determine  when  there  shall  be  an  increase  of  its  mem- 
bers. There  is  often  a  disposition  to  avoid  an  elec- 
tion of  elders,  lest  the  peace  of  the  congregation  should 
be  disturbed.  Some  pastors  prefer  to  have  a  small 
session,  because  they  think  it  is  easier  to  control. 
This  policy  is  not  ordinarily  the  best.  The  advan- 
tages of  a  large  session  are ; 

a.     It  is  more  representative  of  the  whole  con- 
gregation. 

It  often  happens  that  where  two  or  three  leading 
family  connections  control  the  session  for  generations, 
other  families  remain  in  obscurity  and  manifest  little 
interest  in  the  work  of  the  congregation,  because  they 
have  no  representative  in  its  counsels.  This  is  a  loss 
of  power. 


ORGANIZING  FOR  WORK  5 

b.  It  gives  greater  weight  to  the  decisions  of  the 
session. 

It  is  very  important  that  the  decisions  of  a  church 
court  command  the  confidence  and  respect  of  all  sub- 
ject to  its  authority.  This  can  hardly  be  expected 
when  two  or  three  elders  undertake  to  legislate  for  a 
large  congregation. 

c.  It  enlists  more  minds  in  planning  and  more 
hands  in  working. 

It  is  very  desirable  that  plans  for  church  work  be 
originated  and  matured  in  the  session.  If  the  session 
is  feeble  and  the  congregation  is  strong  and  vigorous, 
it  will  always  be  found  that  the  army  will  outrun 
its  officers.  This  inevitably  results  in  confusion.  It 
is  not  only  in  planning  but  in  working  that  the  ad- 
vantage is  seen.  The  more  you  can  enlist  in  formu- 
lating the  plans,  the  more  will  be  ready  to  cooperate 
in  executing  them. 

d.  It  lightens  the  responsibilities  of  the  pastor. 
The   pastor  who  lends   his   influence  to   keep   the 

session  small  in  order  that  he  may  be  able  to  control 
its  decisions,  is  simply  loading  himself  with  respon- 
sibility. When  everything  is  running  smoothly,  this 
one-man  power  may  be  very  convenient;  but  when 
difficulties  arise,  as  in  differences  of  view  about  church 
policy,  or  unhappy  cases  of  discipline,  the  pastor  may 
be  glad  to  share  the  responsibility  with  a  good  strong 
board  of  elders. 

If  I  were  asked  as  to  the  number  of  elders  desir- 
able, I  should  say,  that,  there  should  be  three  elders 
for  the  first  twenty-five  members ;  and  an  additional 
elder  for  every  twenty-five  additional  members;  so 
that,  if  there  were  one  hundred  members,  there  would 
be  six  elders;  if  two  hundred  members,  there  would 
be  ten  elders;  after  that,  I  would  add  one  elder  for 
every  fifty  or  one  hundred  members. 


6  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

2.  The  pastor  should  instruct  the  elders  as  to  their 
duties. 

Many  unwarranted  criticisms  are  made  on  the  ef- 
ficiency of  the  eldership.  Elders  undertake  grave  re- 
sponsibilities as  members  of  church  courts  and  as 
shepherds  of  the  flock.  They  are  expected  to  visit  the 
sick,  and  to  counsel  the  erring,  and  to  feed  the 
lambs  and  to  perform  many  of  the  most  delicate  and 
difficult  duties  along  with  the  pastor;  and  yet  they 
are  thrust  into  it  without  previous  instruction  or  train- 
ing, w^hile  the  pastor  has  spent  years  in  preparation 
for  his  work.  It  is  due  them  that  the  pastor 
kindly  and  carefully  unfold  to  them  the  duties  of  their 
office. 

The  young  minister  should  be  modest  about  as- 
suming to  know  more  about  sessional  business  and 
pastoral  work,  when  he  is  just  entering  upon  it,  than 
elders  who  have  been  in  the  exercise  of  their  office 
for  a  score  of  years.  They  have  a  better  acquaintance 
with  the  field  than  he  has,  and  possibly  a  religious 
experience  deeper  than  his  own.  He  must  not  assume 
too  much  superior  wisdom  or  they  may  reply  in  the 
words  of  Eliphaz  the  Temanite:  "With  us  are  both 
the  grayheaded  and  very  aged  men,  much  elder  than 
thy  father."  (Job  xv,  lo.)  But  might  it  not  be  a 
very  helpful  thing,  when  young  men  are  chosen  to 
the  eldership,  if  the  pastor  should  say  to  them :  "You 
have  a  great  many  difficult  duties  in  common  with 
me.  We  had  instruction  in  the  Seminary  concerning 
our  duties  as  connected  with  church  courts,  and  with 
the  Sabbath  school  and  prayer-meeting,  as  to  pas- 
toral visitation,  visiting  the  sick  and  dealing  with  the 
unconverted;  and  I  should  be  glad  to  study  it  over 
with  you,  and  to  give  you  the  benefit  of  the  sugges- 
tions given  to  me."  Such  a  proposal  would  find  a 
ready  response  and  would  bring  pastor  and  youthful 
elders  into  very  close  sympathy  in  their  church  work. 


ORGANIZING  FOR  WORK  7 

3.  There  should  be  regular  meetings  of  session. 

It  is  useless  to  talk  about  regular  systematic  work 
without  this.  In  the  country  congregations  quarterly 
meetings  should  be  held,  and  in  towns  and  cities  the 
meetings  should  be  monthly. 

4.  The   congregation   should   be   districted   among 
the  elders. 

a.  There  may  be  as  many  districts  as  there  are 
elders. 

b.  The  division  may  be  made  geographically  or 
by  families. 

c.  To  promote  acquaintance,  the  elders  may  ex- 
change districts. 

5.  The  district  elder  should  have  definite  duties. 

a.  To  have  personal  acquaintance  with  all  the 
families  in  his  district. 

b.  To  visit  the  sick,  and  report  to  the  session 
cases  of  sickness. 

c.  To  find  out  those  anxious  about  their  souls, 
or  in  danger  of  temptation,  or  out  of  the  way. 

d.  To  see  that  all  attend  ordinances,  prayer- 
meeting,  Sabbath  school,  and  class  meetings. 

Some  of  the  young  people's  societies  have  Look-out 
committees.  Some  good  is  done  by  them,  and  some 
harm,  but  they  cannot  take  the  place  of  the  elders 
in  the  spiritual  oversight  of  the  flock. 

e.  Each  district  elder  should  report  at  each  meet- 
ing of  the  session. 

6.  The  session  should  have  some  standing  commit- 
tees. 

a.  A  prayo'^-meeting  committee.  The  duties  of 
this  committee  would  be:  (i)  To  select 
leaders;  (2)  To  select  subjects;  (3)  To  ar- 
range cottage  prayer-meetings;  (4)  To  pro- 
mote interest  in  all  prayer-meetings. 

b.  A  committee  on  Sabbath  Schools.  The  duties 
of  this  committee  would  be:     (i)   To  plan 


8  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

for  the  growth  of  the  school.  Every  congre- 
gation has  some  persons  who  ought  to  be  in 
the  Sabbath  school  and  are  not.  Judicious 
management  would  bring  in  many  of  them. 
(2)  To  counsel  with  the  superintendent  in  the 
choice  of  teachers;  (3)  To  assist  in  grading 
the  school;  (4)  To  make  provision  for  the 
instruction  of  inquirers, 
c.  A  committee  on  music,  (i)  To  provide 
training  in  music  for  the  congregation;  (2) 
To  provide  Psalm-books  or  Psalters;  (3)  To 
secure  proper  leaders. 

Ill 

The  Inspiration  to  Work. 

Spiritual  devotion  is  never  hurtful  to  work,  but 
work  is  sometimes  hard  on  spiritual  devotion.  Too 
much  engrossing  social  work  throughout  the  week 
may  bring  the  pastor  into  the  pulpit  on  Sabbath  morn- 
ing in  a  doubting,  fretful,  scolding  frame  of  mind, 
than  which  nothing  can  be  more  deadening.  Let  time 
be  reserved,  after  the  disheartening  labors  with  human 
nature,  for  intimate  communion  with  the  divine  na- 
ture; and  however  impossible  you  have  found  the 
people,  come  into  your  pulpit  with  a  full  sense  of 
the  truth  that  with  God  all  things  are  possible. 
Work  hard,  but  be  serene  in  the  assurance  that  the 
increase  is  with  God,  and  bring  this  mood  into  your 
pulpit  every  Sabbath  morning. 


LECTURE  II 
ORGANIZING  FOR  WORK  (Continued) 

There  is  one  department  of  congregational  work 
which  has  not  received  the  consideration  which  its 
importance  demands.  I  mean  the  financial  depart- 
ment. Works  on  Pastoral  Theology,  as  a  rule,  con- 
tain little  on  this  subject.  It  is  only  in  recent  years 
that  Church  courts  have  given  it  attention.  The  con- 
sequence is  that  congregational  church  work  has  de- 
clined for  lack  of  financial  support ;  suitable  provision 
is  not  made  for  pastors,  and  the  salary  promised  is 
often  far  in  arrears ;  while  the  public  schemes  of  the 
church  languish  for  the  lack  of  means.  In  the  mean- 
time, God's  people  grow  fat  of  purse  and  lean  of  soul. 
The  Scriptures  declare  (Prov.  xi,  25)  :  "The  liberal 
soul  shall  be  made  fat;"  and  Paul  exhorts:  'There- 
fore, as  ye  abound  in  everything,  in  faith,  and  utter- 
ance, and  knowledge,  and  in  all  diligence,  and  in  your 
love  to  us,  see  that  ye  abound  in  this  grace  also." 
(2  Cor.  viii,  7.) 

Following  in  the  line  of  the  last  lecture  I  announce 
as  the  Fourth  General  Point: 

IV 

Organizing  a  Financial  Board. 

I.     The  elders,  in  ordinary  cases,  should  not  be  the 
financial  managers  of  the  congregation, 
a.     Because  the  qualifications  for  the  two  offices 
are  entirely  distinct. 
A  man  may  be  an  excellent  elder,  and  yet  be  worse 
than  useless  as  a  financial  officer. 

9 


10  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

b.  The  duties  of  the  two  offices  are  liable  to  con- 
flict. 

No  argument  is  necessary  to  show  that  it  would 
be  unwise  for  the  pastor  to  involve  himself  in  the 
financial  management  of  the  congregation,  because 
it  would  interfere  with  the  discharge  of  his  pastoral 
duties.  With  the  exception  of  the  pastor's  salary, 
the  same  principles  apply  to  the  eldership. 

c.  Either  office  is  enough  for  one  man. 

The  men  who  fill  offices  in  the  Church  are  usually 
busy  men.  They  serve  without  compensation  and 
are  compelled  to  give  most  of  their  attention  to  their 
worldly  affairs.  It  is  therefore  unwise  to  ask  one 
man  to  fill  two  offices,  of  such  importance  and  so  en- 
tirely distinct. 

d.  The  work  should  be  distributed. 

This  is  according  to  the  Gospel.  "Bear  ye  one  an- 
other's burdens,  and  so  fulfil  the  law  of  Christ,"  (Gal. 
vi,  2.)  'Tor  I  mean  not  that  other  men  be  eased, 
and  ye  burdened."  (2  Cor.  viii,  13.)  Both  the  la- 
bors and  the  honors  in  a  congregation  should  be  dis- 
tributed. 

2.     If  possible,  have  a  Board  of  Deacons. 

I  say  "if  possible,"  because  there  are  some  things 
that  are  not  possible  with  men ;  and  one  of  these  may 
be  the  securing  of  a  Board  of  Deacons  in  an  anti- 
deacon  congregation.  One  of  our  ministers  of  mas- 
terly ability  once  declared  to  me,  "I  zmll  have  them." 
But  he  did  not  "have  them."  For  while  he  was  able 
to  press  the  congregation  to  the  point  of  electing  them, 
when  the  persons  chosen  absolutely  refused  to  serve, 
he  was  powerless.  I  do  not  advise  disturbing  the 
peace  of  a  congregation  on  this  subject,  but  there 
are  good  reasons  why  a  pastor  should  labor  to  this 
end. 

a.     Because  this  is  a  Scriptural  oflfice. 

The  New  Testament  designates  this  office  as  in- 


ORGANIZING  FOR  WORK  ii 

stituted  in  the  Apostolic  Church;  it  prescribes  the 
quahfications  for  the  office ;  it  prescribes  the  manner 
of  induction  into  the  office;  it  defines  the  duties  be- 
longing to  the  office;  and  gives  the  example  of  the 
choice  and  ordination  of  the  first  deacons.  Acts  vi, 
1-8;  I  Tim.  iii,  8-13. 

b.  It  is  in  accordance  with  the  standards  of  our 
Church. 

"The  Scripture  doth  hold  out  deacons  as  distinct 
officers  in  the  Church,  whose  office  is  perpetual." 
{Book  of  Discipline,  page  24.)  The  controversy  in 
our  Church  on  the  Deacon  question  was  not  so  much 
on  the  Scripturalness  of  the  office  as  on  the  extent 
of  its  powers. 

3.     Endeavor  to  have  the  Board  of  Deacons  thor- 
oughly organized. 

The  relation  of  the  pastor  to  the  Board  of  Deacons 
is  not  by  any  means  the  same  as  his  relation  to  the 
session.  By  virtue  of  his  office  as  pastor,  he  is  mod- 
erator of  the  session,  but  he  is  not  even  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Deacons. 

a.  The  Board  of  Deacons  is  a  self-organizing 
body.  It  chooses  its  own  officers,  usually 
electing  them  annually. 

b.  The  regular  officers  are:  President,  Vice- 
President,  Secretary  and  Treasurer. 

In  some  congregations,  the  congregation  elects  a 
treasurer  who  may  or  may  not  be  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Deacons.  When  this  is  done,  the  Board  of 
Deacons  need  not  elect  a  treasurer. 

c.  There  should  be  one  standing  committee,  i.  e., 
on  the  care  of  the  poor. 

"The  poor  ye  have  always  with  you,"  says  Christ. 
There  are  few  congregations  that  have  no  poor.  The 
first  demand  for  deacons  was  to  take  care  of  the 
poor,  and  it  is  one  of  the  most  sacred  duties  of  their 
office. 


12  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

Special  committees  may  be  appointed  as  required. 

4.  Seek  to  have  a  well-planned  financial  system. 
There  are  various  systems  of  finance  in  use  in  the 
Church.  One  method  is  to  depend  entirely  upon  the 
voluntary  offerings  of  the  people,  with  no  subscrip- 
tions binding  to  any  definite  amount,  and  no  account 
taken  of  individual  contributions.  Another  method  is 
by  subscriptions  made  annually  and  paid  at  stated 
times — weekly,  monthly,  or  quarterly.  A  third 
method  is  by  subscriptions  made  in  advance  and  pay- 
ment made  by  envelope.  A  fourth  method  is  by  vol- 
untary contributions  through  the  envelope,  accom- 
panied with  the  name  of  the  donor,  and  credit  on  the 
treasurer's  book,  with  a  quarterly,  semi-annual  or  an- 
nual report  of  the  amount  given  by  each  one.  Per- 
haps no  one  system  is  suited  to  every  locaHty.  A 
system  in  order  to  be  good  must  possess  the  follow- 
ing requisites: 

a.  It  should  secure  the  equalization  of  burdens. 
No  system  is  good  which  allows  half  the  congre- 
gation to  shirk  paying. 

b.  It  should  secure  the  prompt  payment  of  the 
pastor's  salary,  and  other  current  expenses. 

Many  congregations  permit  their  pastor's  salary  to 
fall  far  in  arrears.  It  is  a  species  of  dishonesty.  It 
often  works  great  hardship  to  the  minister  and  injury 
to  the  people.  I  remember  to  have  seen  a  suggestive 
picture  in  a  barber-shop.  It  was  of  a  dead  watch- 
dog. Its  legend  ran —  "Old  Trust  is  dead :  poor  pay 
killed  him."  It  would  make  a  not  inappropriate  epi- 
taph over  the  graves  of  some  faithful  pastors. 

c.  It  should  secure  the  full  support  of  the  Pub- 
lic Schemes  of  the  Church. 

When  appropriations  are  made  by  the  Supreme  Ju- 
dicatory for  the  carrying  forward  of  the  Church's 
public  work,  they  constitute  a  moral  obligation,  bind- 
ing  upon   the   congregations.     Any   financial    scheme 


ORGANIZING  FOR  WORK  13 

which  fails  to  provide  for  the  meeting  of  this  obliga- 
tion is  fatally  defective. 

d.  There    should    be    business-like    methods    of 
keeping  accounts. 

Great  harm  is  done  by  carelessness  in  this  par- 
ticular. It  is  important,  in  forming  a  financial  sys- 
tem, to  avoid  unnecessary  burdens  in  the  way  of  book- 
keeping, on  an  unsalaried  treasurer;  but  whatever  the 
system  the  bookkeeping  should  be  accurate  and  busi- 
ness-like. 

e.  It  should  furnish  to  the  people  full  informa- 
tion as  to  the  use  made  of  their  money. 

There  is  a  reasonable  demand  on  the  part  of  the 
people  to  know  what  is  done  with  their  offerings,  and 
money  should  follow  the  will  of  the  donors.  Strenu- 
ous opposition  is  sometimes  made  to  the  publishing 
of  reports  of  the  contributions  by  individual  mem- 
bers, on  the  ground  that  it  is  contrary  to  the  Saviour's 
command:  "Let  not  thy  left  hand  know  what  thy 
right  hand  doeth."  I  knew  such  a  case  where  a 
prominent  elder  withheld  his  contributions  altogether 
on  this  plea.  A  brother  elder  in  explaining  this  el- 
der's opposition  to  the  publishing  of  the  quarterly 
reports,  said :  "Mr.  Blank  does  not  want  to  let  his 
left  hand  know  that  his  right  hand  is  not  doing  any- 
thing." After  all,  this  is  the  secret  of  much  of  the 
opposition  to  a  public  exhibit  of  the  finances  of  a 
congregation. 

Finally,  give  liberally  yourself,  and  make  the  people 
give.  It  is  their  life.  Murphy,  in  his  "Pastoral  The- 
ology," says :  "A  great  problem  of  practical  impor- 
tance which  in  every  quarter  now  presses  for  solution 
is,  how  the  liberality  of  Christians  may  be  brought 
up  to  anything  like  its  capabilities  or  to  the  crying 
demands  of  the  perishing  millions.  Unbounded 
means  are  in  the  hands  of  the  people  of  God.  Vastly 
more  of  them  could  be  expended  in  a  most  advan- 


14  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

tageous  manner.  The  need  for  them  which  is  de- 
veloped in  almost  every  department  of  Christian  en- 
terprise is  appalling.  How  then  can  the  consciences 
of  the  professed  people  of  God  be  so  aroused  that 
they  will  look  upon  the  matter  as  pressing  upon  them, 
and  feel  their  responsibility  as  they  ought?  How 
can  they  be  persuaded  to  believe  God  fully  when  he 
commands,  ''Give  and  it  shall  be  given  unto  you ;  good 
measure,  pressed  down,  and  shaken  together,  and  run- 
ning over  shall  men  give  unto  your  bosom.  For  with 
the  same  measure  that  ye  mete  withal,  it  shall  be 
measured  to  you  again !" 


V 

Organising  the  Congregation. 

1.  The  congregation  may  be  incorporated. 

It  is  the  judgment  of  many  that  all  our  congre- 
gations should  be  incorporated.  It  is  thought  to  give 
greater  security  in  holding  their  property ;  where  this 
is  done  the  charter  must,  of  course,  conform  to  the 
laws  of  the  commonwealth ;  and  the  congregation  must 
strictly  observe  the  terms  of  its  charter.  This  usually 
prescribes  the  number  of  its  financial  officers  and  the 
manner  of  calling  meetings  for  the  transaction  of 
legal  business. 

2.  Great  care  should  be  taken  in  framing  a  charter 
to  secure  the  property  to  the  Reformed  Presby- 
terian Church. 

See  the  form  of  Charter  of  the  Reformed  Presby- 
terian Congregation  of  Eighth  Street,  Pittsburgh, 
as  published  in  their  memorial  volume  of  1891. 

3.  Whether  incorporated  or  not,  the  congregation 
as  such  should  be  organized. 

Presbyterianism  vests  the  spiritual  control  of  a  con- 


ORGANIZING  FOR  WORK  15 

gregation  in  the  session,  and  commits  the  manage- 
ment of  its  financial  affairs  to  an  ordained  Board  of 
Deacons.  These  officers  in  the  discharge  of  their 
duties,  are  subject  to  the  courts  of  the  Lord's  House. 
Nevertheless  they  are  the  servants  of  the  people,  and 
it  is  eminently  proper  that  they  should  statedly  re- 
port to  the  congregation  concerning  the  work  en- 
trusted to  them.  Besides,  there  are  questions  affect- 
ing the  interests  of  the  congregation  which  do  not 
properly  belong  to  any  of  the  official  boards,  or,  at 
least,  on  which  the  voice  of  the  people  should  be  heard. 

4.  The    officers    of    the    congregation    should    be 
president  and  secretary. 

These  are  all  the  officers  really  necessary  to  the 
transaction  of  business ;  other  officers  may  be  made 
necessary  by  circumstances,  or  by  the  terms  of  the 
charter.  For  instance,  a  Board  of  Trustees  may  be 
required  in  order  to  hold  the  property. 

5.  The  congregation  should  hold  a  regular  annual 
meeting. 

The  business  of  this  meeting  should  be: 

a.  To  hear  a  report  by  the  session  on  the  state 
of  religion  in  the  congregation. 

This  should  be  prepared  with  great  care  and  with 
strict  regard  to  the  facts ;  with  close  appeal  to  the  con- 
sciences of  the  people;  dealing  faithfully  with  their 
failings  and  short-comings,  and  making  full  recogni- 
tion of  their  progress  and  attainments. 

b.  A  report  from  the  Financial  Board. 

It  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  the  people  be 
kept  in  closest  sympathy  with  the  financial  manage- 
ment. There  can  be  no  success  in  this  line  without 
the  fullest  confidence  and  heartiest  cooperation.  And 
this  cannot  be  expected  unless  the  congregation  is 
taken  confidentially  into  the  plans  of  the  financial 
board. 

c.  Reports  from  all  the  congregational  societies. 


i6  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

It  is  desirable  that  all  the  organizations  of  the  con- 
gregation be  permeated  by  a  common  church  life.  To 
this  end  there  should  be  annual  reports  of  the  work 
of  each :  the  Sabbath  schools,  the  missionary  socie- 
ties, the  young  people's  societies,  should  all  be  repre- 
sented. The  reports  should  be  written  and  preserved, 
and  thus  the  materials  for  a  complete  history  of  the 
activities  of  the  congregation  would  be  provided  for 
future  use. 

d.  Transaction  of  congregational  business. 

It  has  already  been  intimated  that  the  congregation 
may  have  business  peculiar  to  itself,  which  does  not 
legitimately  belong  to  any  of  the  official  boards;  and 
any  or  all  of  the  reports  may  originate  business  call- 
ing for  the  action  of  the  congregation. 

e.  The  cultivation  of  christian  fellowship. 

Dr.  Wilcox  suggests,  'Tn  announcing  this  meeting 
call  special  attention  to  it  as  one  of  the  events  in  the 
round  of  the  year.  Let  the  roll  of  members  be  called. 
Let  each  one  answer  to  his  name  with  a  text  of  the 
bible  or  a  christian  sentiment.  Let  a  simple  collation 
be  served  to  promote  familiar  acquaintance  among  the 
members." 

Gentlemen:  I  am  persuaded  that  what  is  now  a 
mere  formality,  if  not  a  drag,  can  be  made  a  means  of 
arousing  new  interest  in  congregational  life  and  work. 
Still,  it  has  always  been  a  problem  in  Church  life, 
how  to  get  the  members  to  attend  the  congregational 
meetings.  One  of  our  ministers,  supplying  a  vacant 
congregation,  was  asked  to  announce  the  annual  meet- 
ing and  urge  the  members  to  attend.  After  reading 
the  notice,  he  proceeded  in  this  wise:  "When  our 
Lord  sent  two  of  His  disciples  to  bring  the  colt  on 
which  He  rode  into  Jerusalem,  He  instructed  them  to 
say,  'The  Lord  hath  need  of  him.'  Now,"  said  the 
minister,  "if  the  Lord  had  need  of  an  ass,  He  has 
need  of  you.'" 


LECTURE  III 
GETTING  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

It  is  one  thing  to  set  up  a  machine;  it  is  another 
thing  to  set  it  going.  I  have  already  spoken  of  the 
official  organization  of  a  congregation:  its  Board  of 
Elders,  its  Board  of  Deacons,  and  its  corporate  of- 
ficers. You  will  soon  discover  among  the  people  a 
strong  disposition  to  leave  the  whole  work  of  the 
Church  in  the  hands  of  its  officers.  It  requires  judi- 
cious and  persevering  effort  on  the  part  of  the  pastor 
to  counteract  this  tendency  and  enlist  the  united  ef- 
forts of  the  people. 

Nor  should  you  become  too  much  cast  down  that 
among  the  older  members  there  are  many  drones, 
.  .  .  some  who  consider  it  sufficient  if  they  come  to 
the  crib  regularly  to  feed.  The  reproach  of  their  lives 
lies  not  with  you.  It  is  your  duty  to  feed  them,  and 
you  may  congratulate  yourself  if  you  are  always  ready 
and  able  to  do  them  this  service. 

But  miss  no  chance  of  putting  the  ready  hands  to 
work. 

There  is  a  time  in  the  life  of  every  Christian  when 
he  is  ready  to  be  trained  for  work  in  the  Master's 
vineyard.  This  time  comes,  usually,  soon  after  con- 
version, immediately  upon  joining  the  church,  or  on 
the  occasion  of  a  certain  definite  spiritual  experience. 
Be  on  the  alert  for  these  opportunities  and  concentrate 
your  effort  upon  the  training  of  such  a  member  at 
the  psychological  moment.  It  is  like  breaking  a  colt: 
to  be  well  done,  it  must  be  done  at  the  right  time. 

The  secret  of  success  in  rebuilding  the  walls  of 
Jerusalem  is  given  in  a  single  sentence,  when  it  is 

17 


i8  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

said:  'Tor  the  people  had  a  mind  to  work."  (Neh. 
iv,  6.)  How  to  secure  this  happy  result  is  one  of  the 
most  important  and  difficult  problems  in  pastoral  ex- 
perience.    What  is  the  pastor's  duty  in  this  respect? 


The  Pastor  Must  Persistently   Teach   the  People  as 
to  Their  Personal  Responsibility. 

1.  There  is  need  for  instruction  on  this  point. 
All   admit  that  there   is  a  great   work  before   the 

Church,  but  few  feel  their  personal  responsibility  for 
the  doing  of  it.  Men  seek  to  lose  themselves  in  the 
crowd  as  the  woman  did  who  came  in  the  throng 
behind  Jesus  and  touched  the  hem  of  His  garment. 
The  pastor  must  individualize  them,  as  Jesus  did  when 
He  turned  about  in  the  press  and  said:  ''Somebody 
hath  touched  me." 

2.  This  teaching  must  be  persistent. 

Murphy  says :  "The  pastor  should  endeavor  to  fix 
it  upon  every  conscience,  that  none  are  so  obscure  that 
they  may  safely  hide,  and  none  so  weak  but  there  is 
something  within  their  reach :  that  all  are  positively 
guilty  who  are  not  contributing  their  share  to  swell 
the  vast  volume  of  influence  which  is  ultimately  to 
sweep  over  the  whole  earth  for  its  regeneration.  This 
doctrine  of  every  person  having  his  own  work  to  do 
should  be  laid  down  squarely,  and  never  receded  from, 
never  omitted  when  there  is  an  opportunity  of  press- 
ing it  home,  from  pulpit,  or  prayer-meeting,  or  pas- 
toral visit." 

3.  This  teaching  should  be  enforced  by  the  author- 
ity of  Scripture. 

Paul  represents  the  Church  as  a  body  composed  of 
many  members,  each  having  its  own  particular  office 
and  all  of  them  essential  to  the  perfection  of  the  body. 


GETTING  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK       19 

"For  the  body,"  says  he,  *'is  not  one  member,  but 
many.  If  the  foot  shall  say,  Because  I  am  not  the 
hand,  I  am  not  of  the  body ;  is  it  therefore  not  of  the 
body?  And  if  the  ear  shall  say,  Because  I  am  not 
the  eye,  I  am  not  of  the  body;  is  it  therefore  not  of 
the  body?  If  the  whole  body  were  an  eye,  where 
were  the  hearing?  If  the  w^hole  were  hearing,  where 
were  the  smelling?  But  now  hath  God  set  the  mem- 
bers, ez'ery  one  of  them,  in  the  body  as  it  hath  pleased 
him.  .  .  .  And  the  eye  cannot  say  unto  the  hand,  I 
have  no  need  of  thee :  nor  again  the  head  to  the  feet, 
I  have  no  need  of  you.  .  .  .  Now  ye  are  the  body  of 
Christ,    and    members    in    particular."     (i    Cor.    xii, 

14-27.) 

With  this  graphic  picture  from  the  pen  of  an  in- 
spired Apostle  before  him,  the  pastor  need  not  hesi- 
tate to  enforce  upon  his  people  a  sense  of  personal 
responsibility. 

II 

In  Receiving  Members  info  the  Church  the  Pastor 
Should  Emphasize  the  Fact  that  They  are  to  he 
Workers. 

1.  Because  the  impression  made  at  such  a  time 
will  have  much  to  do  in  determining  their  future 
course. 

Uniting  with  the  Church  is  an  epoch  in  the  life  of 
the  young  Christian.  It  is  of  much  importance  that 
he  should  have  correct  ideas  of  the  duties  involved  in 
this  new  relationship.  He  should  know  that  the 
Church  is  not  a  hospital,  but  a  hive;  that  he  is  not 
entering  a  summer  hotel,  but  a  workshop ;  that  he  is 
not  joining  a  pleasure  excursion  party,  but  that  he  is 
enlisting  in  an  army  and  entering  upon  a  campaign. 

2.  Because  it  is  easy  to  be  mistaken  on  this  point. 


20  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

So  much  is  said  of  the  blessedness  to  be  received 
in  joining  the  Church,  that  persons  are  sometimes  led 
to  think  that  it  is  all  receiving  and  no  giving.  This 
is  very  agreeable  to  our  natural  dispositions.  Dr. 
Wilcox  remarks:  'Tt  is  so  pleasant  to  settle  into  a 
well-cushioned  pew,  hear  fine  music,  and  an  eloquent 
sermon  and  then  go  home  to  a  sumptuous  dinner  with 
the  feeling  that  our  Sunday  duty  is  done.  Teach  em- 
phatically," he  adds,  "that  one  is  more  profited  by 
acting  than  by  hearing,  that  it  is  more  blessed  to  give 
than  to  receive." 

3.  Because  this  is  according  to  the  example  of 
our  Lord. 

Jesus  never  deceived  any  one  with  the  idea  that 
the  Christian  life  is  one  of  indolence  and  ease.  True, 
He  does  say:  ''Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and 
are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest."  That 
there  may  be  no  mistake,  however.  He  adds  in  the  very 
next  verse :  "Take  my  yoke  upon  you."  Now  a  yoke 
means  service.  (Matt,  xi,  28-29.)  We  cannot  mis- 
understand such  passages  as :  Matt,  xx,  i :  "For 
the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  a  man  that 
is  an  householder,  which  went  out  early  in  the 
morning  to  hire  laborers  into  his  vineyard."  Matt  xx, 
6:  "Why  stand  ye  here  all  the  day  idle?"  Matt. 
xxi,  28 :  "Son,  go  work  to-day  in  my  vineyard." 
Luke  xix,  13 :    "Occupy  till  I  come." 

It  is  worthy  of  notice,  that,  in  the  parable  of  the 
talents,  it  is  the  man  with  the  one  talent  that  failed. 
This  does  not  teach  that  a  man  with  one  talent  is 
more  likely  to  fail  than  a  man  with  two  or  five;  but 
to  show  that  the  one  with  the  smallest  gifts  will  be 
held  accountable  for  the  use  of  all  that  has  been  en- 
trusted to  him.  When  Jesus  said :  "No  man  having 
put  his  hand  to  the  plow  and  looking  back,  is  fit  for 
the  Kingdom  of  God,"  He  did  not  have  in  view  a 
modern   sulky  plow   with   the   driver  sitting   at  ease 


GETTING  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK      21 

with  an  umbrella  over  him,  but  rather  one  after  the 
style  of  the  cuts  in  the  old  almanac,  under  which  the 
couplet  ran  thus: 

"The  man  who  by  the  plow  would  thrive, 
Himself  must  either  hold  or  drive." 
In  reality,  he  must  "both  hold  and  drive,"  as  you 
farm  boys  know.  As  pastors  we  must  inculcate  this 
view  of  the  Christian  life  at  the  door  of  entrance  to 
the  Church.  "This  is  a  faithful  saying,  and  these 
things  I  will  that  thou  affirm  constantly,  that  they 
which  have  believed  in  God  might  be  careful  to  main- 
tain good  works."     (Titus  iii,  8.) 


Ill 

The  Pastor  Should  Study  the  Peculiar  Gifts  of  the 
Individual  Members  of  His  Flock. 

1.  Because  gifts  differ. 

I  Cor.  xii,  4.  "There  are  diversities  of  gifts,  but 
the  same  Spirit."  In  the  election  of  officers  the  choice 
must  be  left  to  the  people,  but  in  the  distribution  of 
workers  a  large  share  of  responsibility  rests  with  the 
pastor.  It  is  neither  wise  nor  right  that  missionary 
societies  or  young  people's  societies  should  assume  to 
distribute  the  workers  independently  of  the  judgment 
of  the  pastor.  That  the  pastor  may  act  intelligently 
he  must  acquaint  himself  with  the  special  gifts  of 
each  one. 

2.  Because  it  is  of  great  importance  to  assign  each 
one  to  the  work  for  which  he  is  adapted. 

When  the  members  of  the  human  body  are  wrongly 
placed  the  result  is  a  monstrosity.  There  are  good 
many  ecclesiastical  monstrosities,  as  when  the  pew 
thinks  itself  a  pulpit.  To  put  into  the  eldership  one 
whose  gifts  are  adapted  to  the  diaconate  is  like  put- 


22  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

ting  a  hand  in  the  place  of  an  eye.  One  may  be  very 
efficient  in  the  place  to  which  he  is  suited,  and  yet 
be  either  useless  or  harmful  in  another  position. 

In  the  Saviour's  parable  of  the  distribution  of  the 
talents  He  says:  *'To  every  man  according  to  his 
several  ability."  The  natural  ability  is  the  basis  on 
which  talents  are  distributed.  To  have  given  five  tal- 
ents to  one  who  had  ability  for  only  two  would  have 
been  to  have  wasted  the  talents  and  to  have  wronged 
the  servant.  It  is  no  real  honor  to  any  man  to  be 
put  into  a  higher  position  than  he  is  capable  of  filling. 
It  is  a  misfortune. 

3.     Because  a  mistake  here  is  difficult  to  remedy. 

You  will  never  know,  until  you  have  tried  it,  how 
hard  it  is  to  get  important  work  out  of  inefficient 
hands.  Harm  may  result  to  the  individual  when  the 
general  good  demands  a  change  among  the  workers. 
He  is  a  happy  pastor  who  has  the  faculty  to  discern 
the  fitness  or  unfitness  of  a  person  to  a  work  before 
it  is  too  late. 

IV 

It  is  Necessary  for  the  Pastor  to  Devise  Plans  of 
Work. 

With  the  field  before  him,  and  the  peculiar  personal 
gifts  of  his  members  in  his  mind,  the  next  great  re- 
sponsibility of  the  pastor  is  to  devise  plans  of  work. 

I.  Because  no  efficient  work  can  be  done  without 
a  plan. 

The  Church  is  a  building;  the  pastor  is  the  master- 
builder.  He  must  draw  up  the  plans  and  specifica- 
tions by  which  the  workmen  are  to  be  guided.  The 
Church  is  a  vineyard;  the  pastor  is  the  husbandman. 
He  must  determine  the  system  of  cultivation  to  be 
followed.     The  Church  is  an  army ;  the  pastor  is  the 


GETTING  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK       23 

commander-in-chief  of  all  the  forces.  He  must 
formulate  the  plan  of  campaign.  If  the  pastor  is  a 
live  earnest  man,  he  will  be  planning  all  the  time. 

2.  Because  the  need  for  new  plans  will  constantly 
recur. 

a.  Methods  wear  out  and  lose  their  efficiency. 

b.  New  fields  of  work  open  up. 

c.  New  members  come  in  and  must  be  employed. 

d.  New  zeal  is  kindled  and  must  have  an  outlet. 
These   and   other    reasons   will    demand    that   new 

plans  be  devised  to  meet  changing  circumstances.  It 
is  an  evidence  of  stagnation  if  not  of  decay  when  the 
pastor  ceases  to  plan  for  work. 

3.  Because  plans  need  to  be  carefully  thought  out 
before  they  are  adopted. 

When  anything  new  is  proposed,  there  are  several 
important  questions  to  be  considered. 

a.     W^hether  or  not  the  method  is  Scriptural. 

It  is  not  enough  that  we  have  good  intentions  and 
good  ends  in  view.  We  must  have  right  methods. 
All  our  success  depends  on  our  being  "laborers  to- 
gether with  God."  To  labor  with  God  we  must  work 
in  God's  way. 

Dr.  E.  P.  Marvin  of  Lockport,  N.  Y.,  is  quoted  in 
the  September,  1905,  number  of  the  Christian  States- 
man as  giving  some  pungent  reasons  why  all  effort 
fails  to  secure  a  revival  of  religion.  Among  other 
reasons  he  gives  the  following:  "The  less  piety  a 
Church  has,  the  more  oysters,  ice-cream  and  fun  it 
takes  to  run  it,  and  the  faster  it  runs  from  God.  The 
craze  of  organization,  added  to  outside  lodges,  split- 
ting up,  confusing  and  weakening  the  Church  with 
many-lettered  societies  and  Te-to-tum  Clubs — all  this 
unblest  mechanism  fills  the  Church  with  clatter  of  ma- 
chinery and  clamor  of  methods.  These  many  super- 
fluous wheels,  unanointed  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  are  a 
dead  weight,  and  they  present  little  or  no  spiritual 


24  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

output.  God  never  organized  His  Church  as  the 
nexus  for  a  confederacy  of  societies  for  miscellaneous 
purposes,  but  as  a  compact  body  for  united  effort, 
with  the  minimum  of  machinery  and  the  maximum 
of  power.  When  we  seek  to  improve  on  this,  we  im- 
pugn the  wisdom  of  God.  We  need  to  energize  more, 
and  organize  less."  He  concludes  with  these  words : 
**No  great  revival  is  possible  till  the  Church  and  min- 
istry repent,  pray,  get  right  with  God,  and  unload  the 
dead  weight  of  about  half  our  Church  members." 

Such  an  arraignment  of  the  methods  of  Church 
work  prevailing  in  our  times  emphasizes  this  point : 
that  the  very  first  question  to  be  raised  as  to  new 
methods  proposed  is,  "Are  they  Scriptural?"  No 
matter  what  apparent  success  they  have,  if  they  do 
not  bear  this  test,  they  must  be  rejected. 

b.  Whether  or  not  it  has  been  successfully  em- 
ployed elsewhere. 

We  must  not  allow  ourselves  to  become  so  self- 
sufficient  as  to  refuse  to  profit  by  the  experience  of 
others.  We  may'  get  some  valuable  lessons  as  to 
plans  of  work  from  sister  congregations  or  sister  de- 
nominations. It  would  have  been  worth  while  for 
our  Church  to  have  given  some  attention  to  the  plans 
and  experiences  of  the  United  Presbyterians  and  the 
Methodists,  and  the  Lutherans,  and  the  Baptists,  in 
determining  our  policy  for  the  organization  of  our 
young  people. 

c.  Whether  or  not  it  is  adapted  to  this  congre- 
gation. 

To  find  a  method  of  work  in  successful  operation 
in  another  pastorate  does  not  insure  its  success  in 
yours.  You  are  a  different  man;  you  labor  among  a 
different  people;  you  and  they  have  a  different  en- 
vironment. In  considering  plans  a  pastor  should 
calmly  reflect  whether  he  has  the  right  persons  for 
carrying  them  out;  whether  he  is  himself  willing  to 


GETTING  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK      25 

undergo  the  labor  necessary  to  their  success.  Bear  in 
mind  that  a  plan  may  look  well  in  theory  and  yet 
be  wholly  impracticable.  Reflection  should  come  be- 
fore inaugurating  a  plan,  rather  than  regret  after- 
wards. 

4.  The  pastor  should  be  persevering  in  his  plans 
of  work.  When  a  plan  is  adopted,  it  should  be 
pushed. 

It  is  hurtful  to  the  pastor's  influence  to  be  always 
inaugurating  movements  that  are  never  carried  out. 
People  soon  learn  to  distrust  the  plans  of  their  min- 
ister if  they  are  habitually  failures.  It  not  infre- 
quently happens  that  a  good  plan  of  work  is  difficult  to 
inaugurate.  You  must  not  be  too  easily  discouraged. 
If  you  have  been  sufficiently  careful  in  considering  a 
plan,  you  should  not  too  readily  abandon  it  because 
it  does  not  meet  your  expectations  from  the  first.  On 
the  other  hand  do  not  obstinately  persist  in  a  plan  to 
the  injury  of  the  cause,  through  unwillingness  to  con- 
fess your  mistake. 

5.  Never  plan  without  prayer. 

You  cannot  succeed  without  God.  It  is  presump- 
tion to  plan  without  His  counsel,  and  then  expect  to 
have  His  aid.  "In  all  thy  ways  acknowledge  Him,  and 
He  shall  direct  thy  paths."  The  flock  is  His.  The 
under  shepherd  should  take  counsel  with  the  Chief 
Shepherd. 

V 

The  Pastor  Should  Train  the  Workers. 

Normal  classes  for  the  training  of  Sabbath  school 
teachers  and  workers  in  missions  may  seem  impossible, 
but  the  best  of  plans  may  be  defeated  in  the  hands  of 
unskilled  workmen.  The  pastor  should  be  careful  not 
to  find  fault  with  workers  who  are  doing  the  best  they 


26  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

know,  but  do  all  in  his  power  to  instruct  them  as  to 
improved  methods.  And  there  never  was  a  successful 
pastor  who  did  not  conduct  some  sort  of  training 
class  among  his  young  people,  in  music,  or  in  doc- 
trine, or  in  methods  of  work,  or  in  the  Bible. 

VI 

The  Pastor  Should  Seek  to  Gather  the  Fruits  of  Their 
Labors. 

1.  He  should  expect  fruits. 

We  should  plan  in  faith  and  teach  our  people  to 
labor  in  faith.  It  is  true  that  God  giveth  the  in- 
crease; but  it  is  not  less  certain  on  that  account  that 
the  husbandman  plows  and  sows  in  hope.  True,  all 
our  efforts  will  be  in  vain  unless  the  Holy  Spirit 
works  with  us.  But  we  need  not  think  of  that  as  the 
most  unlikely  thing  in  the  world.  Nothing  is  more 
certain.  ''Much  more  shall  the  Heavenly  Father  give 
the  Holy  Spirit  unto  them  that  ask  Him." 

2.  He  should  be  prompt  to  gather  the  fruits   in 
their  season. 

We  do  too  little  reaping  for  the  amount  of  sowing. 
We  gather  children  into  the  Sabbath  school,  keep 
them  perhaps  for  years,  and  then  see  them  drift  back 
into  the  world.  We  employ  city  missionaries,  and  the 
Church  comes  into  contact  with  irreligious  families 
and  yet  fails  to  win  them.  Good  seed  is  sown,  but 
no  harvest  is  garnered.  This  ought  not  to  be  so. 
Young  gentlemen,  I  beseech  you  to  set  yourselves  to 
be  reapers  as  well  as  sowers.  Be  alert  for  the  in- 
gathering of  souls.  God  "giveth  the  increase,"  but 
bringing  in  the  sheaves  is  our  business.  Nothing  can 
be  more  discouraging  to  faithful  workers  in  the 
Church,  than  to  see  their  efforts  fail  of  results  through 
the  failure,  carelessness,  or  inefficiency  of  their  pastor. 


GETTING  PEOPLE  AT  WORK  27 

May  these  thoughts  lead  you  to  reflect  that  the 
pastoral  office  is  a  great  trust;  that  it  leaves  no  time 
to  turn  aside  to  secular  employments ;  that  it  demands 
the  fullest  dedication  of  all  our  gifts  of  body,  mind, 
and  soul,  and  their  utmost  exercise ;  and  that  it  af- 
fords the  widest  opportunities  for  usefulness,  and 
promises  the  most  glorious  rewards  for  faithfulness. 
*'The  elders  which  are  among  you  I  exhort,  who  am 
also  an  elder,  and  a  witness  of  the  sufferings  of 
Christ,  and  also  a  partaker  of  the  glory  that  shall 
be  revealed.  Feed  the  flock  of  God  which  is  among 
you,  taking  the  oversight  thereof,  not  by  constraint, 
but  willingly;  not  for  filthy  lucre,  but  of  a  ready 
mind;  neither  as  being  lords  over  God's  heritage,  but 
being  ensamples  to  the  flock.  And  when  the  chief 
Shepherd  shall  appear,  ye  shall  receive  a  crown  of 
glory  that  fadeth  not  away."     (i  Pet.  v,  1-4.) 


LECTURE  IV 
THE  PRAYER-MEETING 

We  are  now  ready  to  turn  our  attention  to  the  ac- 
tivities of  the  congregation,  or  The  Pastor  and  Peo- 
ple at  Work.  In  placing  the  prayer-meeting  first 
among  the  activities  of  church-life,  I  follow  the  ex- 
ample of  most  writers  on  Pastoral  Theology. 

Dr.  Wilcox  says:  "Some  writer  has  said  to  the 
young  pastor:  'Give  one-third  of  yourself  to  your 
pulpit,  one-third  to  your  pastoral  calls,  and  one-third 
to  the  prayer-meeting.'  "  And  he  adds,  "This  esti- 
mate of  the  importance  of  the  prayer-meeting  is 
hardly  exaggerate." 

Dr.  Cuyler  in  How  to  he  a  Pastor,  says:  "The 
prayer-meeting  may  fairly  claim  to  be  regarded  as 
second  only  to  the  pulpit  in  the  spiritual  life  of  the 
Christian  Church.  Some  would  give  it  the  first  place, 
for,  while  many  churches  have  managed  to  keep  alive 
without  a  pastor,  none  are  likely  to  preserve  their  vi- 
tality and  vigor  without  a  regular  gathering  of  the 
flock  for  public  devotion." 

Murphy  says:  "The  piety  and  usefulness  of  the 
Church  are  most  intimately  connected  with  its  prayer- 
meetings.  Whether  as  cause  or  effect,  it  is  found  that 
the  degree  of  the  one  is  always  in  proportion  to  the 
interest  manifested  in  the  other.  It  will  therefore 
be  seen  at  once  that  this  is  a  subject  that  claims  the 
most  careful  attention  of  the  pastor.  It  is  one  which 
he  ...ust  not  only  study,  but  carry  out  into  practice 
from  the  first  to  the  last  day  of  his  ministry.  Every- 
thing demands  of  him  that  it  should  be  made  most 
prominent,  in  both  thought  and  practice." 

28 


THE  PRAYER-MEETING  29 

These  are  very  strong  testimonies.  I  think  the 
writers  describe  the  prayer-meeting,  not  as  it  is,  but 
as  it  ought  to  be — the  ideal  prayer-meeting.  Let  it 
be  your  purpose  to  make  the  ideal  prayer-meeting 
the  real  one  in  the  congregation  of  which  you  are  to 
be  pastor,  and  then  the  best  that  has  been  said  of 
the  prayer-meeting  will  be  true  of  yours.  There  is  a 
fine  field  for  progress  in  this  department  of  our 
church  life. 

Let  us  consider: 


Wherein  Lies  the  Importance  of  the  Prayer-Meeting. 

I.     It  measures  the  spiritual  life  of  the  Church. 

The  prayer-meeting  is  the  spiritual  thermometer. 
The  rise  and  fall  of  interest  in  the  prayer-meeting 
marks  the  change  of  heat  or  coldness  in  the  church. 
You  may  be  at  a  loss  to  determine  which  is  cause 
and  which  is  effect;  i.e.,  whether  the  cold  prayer- 
meeting  makes  a  cold  church,  or  a  cold  church  makes 
a  cold  prayer-meeting;  but  we  know  that  a  cold 
prayer-meeting  indicates  a  cold  church.  They  are 
inter-operative. 

Not  only  is  this  true  of  the  congregation  as  a  whole, 
but  equally  true  of  the  individual  members.  Those 
members  who  habitually  attend  the  prayer-meeting 
will  have  warmth  and  fervor;  while  those  who  habit- 
ually absent  themselves  fall  into  spiritual  decline. 
And  even  the  same  individual  will  grow  hot  or  cold 
according  as  he  attends  or  neglects  the  prayer-meet- 
ing. 

Murphy  says:  'Tn  a  measure  that  can  scarcely  be 
mistaken,  the  attendance  and  interest  in  these  meet- 
ings  show  whose  hearts  are  alive  to  the  things  of 


30  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

Christ,  and  what  is  the  extent  of  spirituality  that  per- 
vades the  body." 

What  could  more  clearly  demonstrate  the  impor- 
tance of  the  prayer-meetin^^  than  this  fact? 

2.  It  increases  the  spiritual  life  of  the  Church. 
The  prayer-meeting  is  not  merely  a  thermometer, 

to  measure  the  heat  of  the  spiritual  body;  nor  yet  a 
pulsimeter,  for  indicating  the  frequency,  force,  and 
variations  of  the  spiritual  pulse.  It  also  supplies 
spiritual  strength  and  increases  the  vital  forces  of  the 
spiritual  nature.  It  comes  midway  between  the  Sab- 
baths to  arrest  the  rushing  tide  of  worldliness,  and 
to  draw  the  Christian  apart  from  the  exacting  cares 
of  this  earthly  life ;  and  it  makes  him  "to  sit  in  the 
heavenly  places  with  Christ."  "They  that  wait  upon 
the  Lord  shall  renew  their  strength ;  they  shall  mount 
up  with  wings  as  eagles;  they  shall  run  and  not  be 
weary;   and  they   shall   walk   and   not   faint."     (Isa. 

xl,  3I-) 

3.  It  utilises  the  spiritual  life  of  the  Church. 

a.  The  members  are  called  to  exercise  their 
gifts  in  the  prayer-meeting  itself. 

In  the  public  worship  on  the  Sabbath,  the  services 
are  wholly  in  the  hands  of  the  pastor;  in  the  prayer- 
meeting  they  should  be  as  far  as  possible  in  the  hands 
of  the  people.  As  the  apostle  says:  "Not  forsaking 
the  assembling  of  ourselves  together,  as  the  manner 
of  some  is ;  but  exhorting  one  another ;  and  so  much 
the  more  as  ye  see  the  day  approaching."     (Heb.  x, 

25.) 

b.  The  spiritual  power  generated  in  the  prayer- 
meeting  pervades  all  the  other  activities  of 
the  Church. 

It  has  been  well  said  that,  "when  the  hearts  of 
Christians  are  in  it,  and  the  life  and  unction  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  pervades  it,  it  sends  out  its  blessed  in- 
fluence to  every  part  of  the  Church  work."    Through 


THE  PRAYER-MEETING  31 

it  the  Lord's  Day  services  are  made  more  profitable, 
the  Sabbath  school  is  blessed,  the  effort  to  attract 
to  the  sanctuary  is  prospered,  the  family  is  happier, 
and  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit  are  everywhere  seen. 

It  is  not  enough  to  say  that  the  prayer-meeting 
creates  the  power,  and  the  other  agencies  utilize  it. 
The  prayer-meeting  is  itself  the  connecting  link  be- 
tween the  Spirit's  power  and  the  human  instrumen- 
tality. It  is  the  band  that  unites  the  revolving  shaft 
with  the  machine,  and  starts  the  click  of  cogs  and 
the  whir  of  wheels. 

The  importance  of  the  prayer-meeting  is  seen  in 
that  it  measures  the  spiritual  life  of  the  Church;  still 
more,  in  that  it  increases  it ;  and  most  of  all  that  it 
utilizes  it. 

II 

How  to   Secure  Attendance  at  the  Prayer-Meeting. 

I.     Arrange  carefully  as  to  the  place  of  meeting. 

a.  If  possible  have  all  meet  together. 

It  is  always  heartsome  to  have  a  good-sized  meet- 
ing. It  promotes  a  warmth,  and  sociability,  and  con- 
gregational spirit. 

b.  If  necessary,  district  the  congregation. 
You   must    study    the    convenience   of    the   people. 

They  cannot  be  expected  to  come  regularly  from  long 
distances.  Even  when  the  main  body  of  the  people 
meet  at  the  church,  it  may  be  well  to  arrange  cottage 
prayer-meetings  in  the  outskirts, — both  in  city  and  in 
country  congregations. 

c.  If  there  are  several  prayer-meetings,  let  them 
unite   on   special   occasions. 

For  instance,  this  would  be  well  once  or  twice  dur- 
ing the  week  of  prayer,  and  in  the  meetings  prepara- 
tory to  the  communion. 


32  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

2.  Aim  to  have  the  place  of  meeting  attractive : 

a.  Well-furnished. 

b.  Well-lighted. 

c.  Heated. 

d.  Ventilated. 

Such  provisions  for  the  comfort  of  the  worshipers 
are  means  of  grace.  People  dislike  to  leave  their 
comfortable  homes  and  cushioned  furniture  and  walk 
for  miles  to  do  penance  sitting  on  a  hard  board,  shiv- 
ering with  cold  or  stupefied  and  sickened  with  foul 
air. 

Dr.  Wilcox  says :  "Do  your  best  to  make  it  a  cheer- 
ful, social  room.  Give  it  the  air  of  a  home-parlor. 
Have  a  carpet  or  drugget  on  the  floor." 

Especially,  whatever  else  is  lacking,  let  the  room 
be  amply  lighted.  A  dingy  place  is  enough  to  take 
the  life  out  of  any  meeting  that  ever  was  gathered. 

3.  Reserve   a   time   for   the   prayer-meeting,    free 
from  all  other  meetings. 

It  may  be  weekly,  or  semi-monthly,  or  monthly, 
according  to  circumstances:  but  let  it  have  a  stated 
time,  and  guard  it  from  interference.  This  is  of  great 
importance  in  the  cities.  In  and  about  Pittsburgh,  it 
is  well  understood  that  Wednesday  evening  is  prayer- 
meeting  evening.  Pastors  should  agree  together  that 
no  meetings  will  be  arranged  which  might  draw  away 
members  from  each  other's  prayer-meetings.  Deter- 
minedly resist  any  interference  with  prayer-meeting 
night  by  any  lecture  course  committee  or  by  any  pro- 
posed form  of  social  entertainment.  I  sympathize  far 
more  than  I  once  did  with  those  pastors  who  refuse 
to  dismiss  the  prayer-meeting  for  the  sake  of  reform 
lectures  or  union  services.  These  do  not  fill  the  place 
of  the  prayer-meeting,  and,  ordinarily,  they  should 
not  ask  to  take  its  place.  The  modern  device  of  ar- 
ranging weddings  for  prayer-meeting  evening  is  not 
from  above.     My  advice  is :    Exalt  the  importance  of 


THE  PRAYER-MEETING  33 

the  prayer-meeting  in  the  minds  of  your  people  by 
refusing  to  yield  its  place  to  any  ordinary  occurrence. 

4.  Give   frequent  and  kindly  invitation  to  attend 
the  prayer-meeting. 

Do  not  scold.  It  does  no  good.  Invite  and  per- 
suade. Let  your  invitations  be  marked  by  serious- 
ness and  solicitude.  "Come  early  and  get  a  back 
seat"  is  a  modern  pulpit  witticism  which  is  in  very 
bad  taste.  It  vitiates  the  appeal  to  the  conscience  by 
trifling  with  sacred  things.  It  is  not  the  speech  of 
moral  earnestness. 

5.  Refer   occasionally   in   your   discourses   to   the 
good  things  offered  and  enjoyed  at  prayer-meet- 

.ing. 
This  doubles  the  appreciation  of  those  who  have 
enjoyed  the  good  things;  and  it  may  awaken  a  sense 
of  loss  in  the  minds  of  the  absentees.  You  need 
not  always  tell  what  the  good  things  were.  "The 
secret  of  the  Lord  is  with  the  righteous." 

6.  Make  the  meetings  interesting. 

After  all  is  said,  this  is  the  only  way  to  have  a  good 
attendance.  A  few  saintly  souls  will,  from  a  sense 
of  duty  or  by  sheer  force  of  habit,  meet  from  week 
to  week,  and  "go  through"  as  they  used  to  say  in 
the  good,  old-time  "Society";  but  the  ordinary  mod- 
ern Christian  will  not  do  that.  The  prayer-meet- 
ing cannot  live  on  its  good  name.  It  must  have 
worth. 

On  one  occasion,  in  our  Synod,  a  minister  gave  a 
very  lengthy  and  pithless  address  on  how  to  get  the 
masses  to  attend  church.  When,  at  last,  he  gradually 
settled  into  his  seat,  another  brother  sprang  up,  and, 
in  a  quick,  alert  tone,  said:  "There  are  just  three 
things  to  be  done  to  bring  the  masses  to  church:  (i) 
Invite  them  to  come;  (2)  Welcome  them  when  they 
do  come;  (3)  Give  them  something  for  coming,"  and 
down  he  sat.     It  was  as  if  some  one  had  opened  a 


34  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

door  and  let  in  a  blast.  It  is  a  good  rule  for  securing 
attendance  at  prayer-meeting. 

7.     Encourage  sociability  at  the  close  of  the  meet- 

A  general  handshaking,  with  especial  attention  to 
strangers,  is  a  good  thing.  Yet  a  word  of  caution 
may  be  necessary  just  at  this  point.  If  a  meeting 
has  been  peculiarly  solemn  and  impressive,  it  is  proper 
for  the  pastor  to  ask  the  people  not  to  dissipate  its 
good  impressions  by  frivolous  conversation,  but  to 
cherish  them  by  speaking  to  each  other  of  spiritual 
things. 

Ill 

General  Rules  for   Conducting  a  Prayer-Meeting. 

1.  Always  prepare  carefully. 

When  Dr.  Wilcox  quotes  with  approval  the  advice 
for  a  pastor  to  give  one-third  of  his  time  to  the  prayer- 
meeting,  he  evidently  has  in  view  the  method,  com- 
mon in  many  churches,  of  the  pastor  carrying  on  the 
meeting  almost  wholly  himself  and  making  an  ex- 
tended address.  This  is  not  common  with  us.  Our 
danger  is  in  ''trusting  to  the  spur  of  the  moment" 
to  carry  us  through.     This  is  a  great  mistake. 

2.  The  pastor  should  lead   frequently. 

Not  always,  because  the  prayer-meeting  is  the  peo- 
ple's service;  but  frequently,  because 

a.  Something  is  due  to  his  position  as  pastor; 

b.  He  is  usually  better  qualified  than  others. 
His  mind  is  more  taken  up  with  spiritual  things; 

he  has  more  familiarity  with  methods;  the  people  will 
follow  his  leadership  more  readily :  "They  know  the 
Shepherd's  voice ;  and  a  stranger  will  they  not  follow, 
for  they  know  not  the  voice  of  strangers." 

Customs  differ.  Dr.  Cuyler  gives  it  as  his  custom 
to  entrust  the  charge  of  this  service  to  the  eldership 


THE  PRAYER-MEETING  35 

in  turn.  The  custom,  common  in  our  church,  of  em- 
ploying the  male  members  in  turn  is  better;  and  best 
of  all,  the  custom  which  prevails  in  a  few  congrega- 
tions of  employing  the  women  as  well  as  the  men. 
There  is  neither  male  nor  female  in  the  fellowship 
meeting. 

3.  Begin  promptly. 

It  belongs  to  the  pastor  to  see  that  the  meeting 
opens  on  time.  Never  wait  more  than  five  minutes 
for  the  leader.  Start  the  meeting  and  resign  the 
chair  to  the  appointed  leader  when  he  arrives.  Noth- 
ing is  surer  to  kill  a  prayer-meeting  than  dilly-dally- 
ing at  the  opening. 

4.  Seek  to  have  many  participate  in  the  exercises. 
The  more  that  take  part  in  a  prayer-meeting,  the 

better  it  is.  Everyone  who  does  anything  thinks  the 
meeting  was  good.  Fault-finding  usually  comes  from 
those  who  have  contributed  nothing.  The  children 
should  be  encouraged  to  read  scripture  references 
and  to  announce  psalms. 

5.  Close  promptly  on  time. 

This  is  about  as  important  as  opening  on  time.  Do 
not  be  betrayed  into  prolonging  the  meeting  on  ac- 
count of  a  fresh  interest  that  springs  up  just  when 
it  is  time  to  close.  It  is  not  uncommon  for  persons 
who  have  left  you  to  suffer  the  agony  of  long  pauses 
all  through  the  meeting,  to  have  an  impulse  to  speak 
when  it  is  time  to  dismiss.  Shut  them  off  remorse- 
lessly. I  do  not  think  it  is  wicked  even  to  have  a 
little  satisfaction  in  doing  it.  If  there  is  a  manifest 
interest  at  the  close  of  the  meeting  which  should  be 
utilized,  it  may  be  better  to  hold  an  after  meeting. 
But  rem.ember,  it  is  no  disadvantage  for  a  prayer- 
meeting  to  close  when  everybody  is  wishing  it  would 
go  on. 

6.  Aim  to  secure  reverence  and  solemnity  in  the 
services. 


36  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

People  frequently  engage  in  frivolous  conversation 
while  waiting  for  the  meeting  to  begin.  The  leader 
rises  and  proceeds  quite  a  distance  in  the  reading  of 
the  psalm  before  quiet  is  secured.  This  is  a  very 
bad  beginning. 

Do  not  encourage  facetious  or  funny  remarks,  or 
eccentricities  of  any  kind.  "Because  He  is  thy  Lord, 
do  thou  Him  worship  reverently." 


IV 

The  Exercises  of  the  Prayer-Mee^ting. 

I.  As  far  as  possible,  let  the  exercises  be  volun- 
tary. 

In  many  places  it  is  difficult  to  introduce  voluntary 
exercises.  It  would  be  unwise  to  disturb  the  peace 
of  a  congregation,  but,  where  it  can  be  secured,  the 
voluntary  exercises  are  preferable. 

a.  In  a  large  meeting  you  cannot  call  every  one 
by  name. 

The  old  method  of  one  person  going  through  all 
the  parts  of  worship — singing,  reading,  and  prayer 
— was  adapted  only  to  the  small  societies. 

b.  A  voluntary  meeting  gives   greater   freedom 
to  the  operations  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

A  devotional  meeting  should  be  led  by  the  Spirit. 
When  the  leader  calls  on  individuals,  he  is  liable 
to  summon  one  to  speak  whom  the  Spirit  is  prompting 
to  pray ;  or  ask  one  to  pray  who  is  prepared  to  speak ; 
or  wholly  to  overlook  one  to  whom  the  Spirit  has 
given  a  message  or  a  prayer,  and  call  on  one  who 
has  no  tidings  ready.  "Let  the  Holy  Spirit  have  His 
way  with  you,"  is  a  good  motto  for  a  prayer-meeting. 

c.  Meetings  of  this  kind  will  rise  to  greater  spir- 
itual heights  than  by  the  other  method. 


THE  PRAYER-MEETING  37 

This  is  a  matter  of  common  experience,  and  is  ac- 
cording to  the  operation  of  spiritual  laws.  The  free, 
spontaneous  movement  carries  with  it  a  spiritual  im- 
pulse which  is  contagious  and  cumulative. 

d.  The    success   of   the    voluntary   meeting   de- 
pends largely  upon  the  leader. 

It  is  a  great  mistake  to  suppose  that  because  the 
meeting  is  voluntary  the  leader  of  the  meeting  is  re- 
lieved from  responsibility.  It  requires  no  great  tact 
to  call  out  members  by  name,  but  it  often  taxes  the 
utmost  resources  of  the  leader  to  keep  the  meeting 
going  without  naming  persons.  "Will  some  one 
pray?"  "Has  any  one  a  psalm?"  "Will  not  some  of 
the  young  people  speak?"  "Can  not  some  one  relate 
an  experience?"  These  are  some  of  the  ways  of  giv- 
ing the  meeting  a  lift. 

e.  In  a  voluntary  meeting  the  pastor  must  ear- 
nestly sustain  the  leader. 

The  pastor  has  not  done  his  whole  duty  when  he 
has  taken  his  place  in  speaking  or  prayer.  He  should 
prompt  others  to  the  service.  This  may  often  be  done 
privately  before  the  meeting  opens, — especially  when 
the  leader  is  young  or  inexperienced.  The  famine 
should  be  anticipated  and  provision  laid  up  before- 
hand, like  the  corn  in  the  storehouses  of  Egypt.  This 
becomes  a  necessity  in  introducing  the  voluntary 
method  where  the  other  has  been  the  custom. 
2.  Give  much  attention  to  the  praise  service. 
You  need  not  have  a  dull  prayer-rneeting  if  you 
have  good  singers  and  know  how  to  use  the  psalter, 
There  are  psalms  suited  to  every  scriptural  subject. 
My  own  opinion  is  that  the  introduction  of  the  re- 
vised psalter  will  be  a  great  aid  to  the  prayerrmeetr 
ing.  But  do  not  disturb  the  peace  of  the  congregar 
tion.  There  have  been  some  foolish  things  done  in 
the  effort  to  introduce  new  versions.  Do  not  despair 
if  the  people  are  found  tinwilling  to  accept  the  rf- 


38  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

vision ;  there  are  great  possibilities  in  the  old  ver- 
sion yet. 

In  a  few  instances,  our  people  have  introduced  the 
''Bible  Songs"  in  prayer-meetings  and  mission  services 
and  in  young  people's  societies.  Such  a  course  is 
irregular,  lawless,  and  hurtful.  The  Bible  Songs  are 
without  warrant  in  our  Church.  They  are  admittedly 
far  removed  from  the  original  words  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  The  most  conservative  ministers  and  people 
of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  do  not  approve 
of  them.  In  reply  to  a  question  whether  they  could 
be  lawfully  introduced  into  our  prayer-meetings,  lead- 
ing members  of  Synod  answered  most  emphatically 
that  they  could  not ;  and  it  was  accepted  without  dis- 
sent as  the  mind  of  the  court.^ 

No  one  believes  that  he  could  secure  approval  of 
the  supreme  judicatory.  To  introduce  them  without 
warrant  is  a  violation  of  our  ordination  vows,  in 
which  we  promise  subordination  to  the  authority  of 
the  Synod.  I  charge  you,  as  candidates  for  the  min- 
istry, never  to  be  guilty  of  willfully  violating  the  laws 
and  established  usages  of  the  Church  to  which  you 
belong. 

3.  Encourage  the  reading  of  Scripture  references. 
Persons  will  do  this  who  will  not  participate  in  any 

other  way.  Frequently  it  is  the  very  best  part  of  the 
study  of  a  passage.  The  custom  of  rising  to  read  is 
helpful  in  many  ways. 

4.  Aim  to  have  many  prayers. 

The  fault  with  many  of  our  prayer-meetings  is  that 

1  The  attention  of  Synod  having  been  called  to  the  fact  that 
in  some  congregations  the  Bible  Songs  are  used  in  Sabbath 
Schools  and  mission  work,  the  following  action  was  taken : 
"  That  the  Pastors  and  Sessions  of  such  congregations  as 
may  be  using  unauthorized  versions  of  the  psalms  in  the  wor- 
ship in  any  department  of  their  church  work,  be  earnestly 
urged  to  discontinue  the  practice  and  conform  to  the  law  of 
the  church  on  the  subject."     (Minutes  of  Synod,  1907,  p.  77.) 


THE  PRAYER-MEETING  39 

there  is  too  little  praying.  The  truth  is,  it  is  often 
a  misnomer  to  call  it  a  prayer-meeting.  It  is  Hamlet 
with  Hamlet  left  out.  We  might  better  omit  the 
remarks. 

The  number  of  prayers  may  be  increased : 

a.  By  having  a  series  of  prayers; 

b.  By  having  special  prayers  for  special  objects; 

c.  Requests  for  prayers   should  always  be  wel- 
comed, and  may  sometimes  be  asked  for. 

5.  A  Bible  reading  may  be  substituted  occasionally 
for  remarks  on  the  passage. 

Our  prayer-meetings  are  too  formal.  We  get  into 
ruts.  The  same  people  do  the  same  things  at  every 
meeting,  and  the  others  do  nothing.  A  well  chosen 
Bible  Reading  will  serve  to  break  up  this  monotony, 
and  in  the  hands  of  a  skillful  leader  it  can  be  made 
both  interesting  and  profitable. 

6.  Aim  to  have  the  remarks  practical,  experi- 
mental, and  devotional,  rather  than  doctrinal  or 
controversial. 

It  is  generally  said  that  our  people  speak  with  more 
freedom  on  doctrinal  subjects  than  on  practical  ones; 
and  that  they  are  better  at  controversy  than  at  testi- 
fying to  religious  experience.  We  should  aim  to  cul- 
tivate their  neglected  gifts.  How  this  may  be  done 
will  be  treated  in  the  next  lecture. 


LECTURE 

THE  PRAYER-MEETING— HELPS  AND 
HINDRANCES 

It  may  seem  to  you  that  about  all  has  been  said 
that  needs  to  be  said,  as  to  the  relation  of  the  pastor 
to  the  prayer-meeting.  The  fact,  however,  remains 
that  our  prayer-meetings  are  generally  far  below  the 
ideal  presented  and  that  something  should  be  done  to 
increase  their  efficiency  as  a  means  of  grace.  This 
lecture  will  be  devoted  to  a  consideration  of  Helps 
and  Hindrances  to  a  Successful  Prayer-meeting. 


Helps  to  a  Good  Prayer-Meeting. 

I.     The  selection  of  suitable  subjects: 

The  prayer-meeting,  to  be  successful,  should  have  a 
center  of  unity.  Around  that  center,  all  its  exercises 
should  be  made  to  revolve.  The  prayers,  the  praise, 
and  the  remarks  should  radiate  from  that  center  in 
the  beginning  and  should  converge  to  that  center  at 
the  close.  And  the  center  of  unity  in  any  good 
prayer-meeting  is  the  scripture  passage  which  fur- 
nishes the  subject  for  consideration.  It  follows  with- 
out argument  that  the  selection  of  suitable  subjects  is 
essential  to  success. 

What  should  be  the  character  of  the  subjects? 

A.  The  subject  should  be  definite  and  particular. 
In  the  old-time  society  the  rule  was  for  the  one  who 
gave  the  text  to  "put  a  Statement  on  it."  This  meant 
to  raise  some  point  from  the  verse,  which  would  give 

40 


THE  PRAYER-MEETING  41 

direction  to  the  discussion.  The  custom  was  a  good 
one.  Dr.  Wilcox  says :  "There  is  sometimes  a  no- 
tion that  if  the  subject  is  a  large  comprehensive  one, 
it  will  promote  variety  in  remark  and  prove  rich  in 
suggestion.  This  is  a  great  mistake.  .  .  .  What  you 
need  is  to  divide  your  subject  into  several  varied  ones, 
that  one  meeting  in  a  series  will  not  resemble  the 
others."  He  advises,  in  announcing  the  subject,  to 
sub-divide  it,  to  make  points.  In  most  of  our  con- 
gregations there  are  those  who  can  make  points  about 
as  well  as  the  minister;  and  they  prefer  to  speak  on 
points  they  make  themselves.  What  they  need  is  a 
clearly  defined  topic.  Instead  of  selecting  as  a  sub- 
ject, 'The  Means  of  Grace,"  take  "The  Bible  as  a 
Means  of  Grace,"  or  "Prayer  as  a  Means  of  Grace," 
or  "The  Sacraments  as  a  Means  of  Grace." 

B.  The  subjects  should  be  practical  rather  than 
doctrinal. 

This  does  not  mean  that  there  shall  not  be  doctrine, 
but  that  the  aim  will  be  not  so  much  the  statement 
and  proof  of  doctrines  as  inquiry  after  the  practical 
uses.  For  instance,  instead  of  discussing  "The  King- 
ship of  Christ,"  consider  "The  Duties  Growing  Out 
of  Our  Relation  to  Christ  as  King." 

Two  reasons  may  be  given : 

a.  Doctrinal  subjects  tend  to  long  and  dry 
speeches.  These  are  always  hurtful  and 
sometimes  fatal  to  the  meeting. 

b.  Practical  subjects  invite  personal  testimony. 
The  prayer-meeting  should  be  an  experience  meet- 
ing. The  Methodists  go  to  one  extreme ;  we  go  to 
the  other.  They  are  in  danger  of  professing  experi- 
ences which  they  do  not  have;  we  are  in  danger  of 
conceahng  experiences  which  we  ought  to  profess. 
The  scriptural  ground  is  safe  and  right ;  i.  e.,  "Come 
and  hear,  all  ye  that  fear  God,  and  I  will  tell  what  He 
hath  done  for  my  soul."     (Ps.  Ixvi,  16.) 


42  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

C.  The  Distinctive  Principles  of  the  Church 
should  have  a  place. 

If  a  denomination  has  any  just  ground  for  main- 
taining a  separate  existence,  its  distinctive  principles 
must  be  held  as  of  sufficient  importance  to  color  all 
the  departments  of  church  life.  Various  advantages 
arise  from  occasionally  introducing  them  in  prayer- 
meeting. 

a.  It  helps  the  pastor  to  understand  what  is 
needed : 

If  the  people  are  indifferent,  or  ignorant,  or  un- 
settled on  any  point,  it  is  likely  to  discover  itself  in  the 
freedom  of  the  prayer-meeting.  Then  the  remedy 
can  be  judiciously  applied. 

b.  The  discussion  may  be  more  instructive  to 
the  young  than  would  be  a  sermon  on  the 
subject. 

It  gives  an  opportunity  to  ask  questions  and  to 
state  difficulties.  Our  distinctive  principles  can  be 
simplified  to  suit  the  minds  of  children.  I  recall  an 
instance  from  a  prayer-meeting  address  by  Rev.  R.  C. 
Allen,  just  before  a  communion.  He  said  he  would 
explain  to  the  children  why  Covenanters  do  not  vote, 
and  proceeded  as  follows : 

(i)     Jesus  Christ  is  the  King  of  Nations; 

(2)  Nations  ought  to  own  their  King; 

(3)  Our  Nation  does  not  own  King  Jesus; 

(4)  This  is  a  great  dishonor  done  to  Christ; 

(5)  A    Christian   should   not   join   in   this   dis- 
honor ; 

(6)  Those  who  vote  consent  to  the  Nation's  dis- 
honoring Christ. 

Mr.  Allen  seemed  to  gain  assent  to  every  point  as 
he  advanced.  His  remarks  were  instructive,  full  of 
warning,  and  made  a  lasting  impression. 

c.  It  may  lead  to  an  invitation  to  preach  on 
these  subjects: 


THE  PRAYER-MEETING  43 

I  recall  three  such  invitations  that  came  to  me  by- 
vote  of  the  prayer-meeting — one  on  Systematic  Giv- 
ing; another  on  Secret  Societies;  the  third,  on  the 
Exclusive  Use  of  the  Psalms. 

The  Report  on  Young  People's  Societies  at  the 
Synod  of  1905  prescribed  a  series  of  topics  taken 
from  the  Covenant  of  1871.  Nothing  could  be  more 
helpful  to  Covenanter  youth. 

2.     A  judicious  method  of  selecting  subjects: 

Since  the  success  of  the  prayer-meeting  depends  so 
largely  on  the  suitableness  of  the  subject,  the  matter 
of  choosing  the  topic  becomes  of  the  first  importance. 
No  one  method  is  best  for  all  places,  nor  for  any  one 
place  at  all  times.  The  following  suggestions  may 
assist  in  choosing  the  best  method  for  your  congre- 
gation : 

A.  Some  one  may  be  appointed  at  each  meeting 
to  bring  the  subject  for  the  next  meeting. 

The  advantages  of  this  method  are : 

a.  It  interests  a  large  number  of  members. 
The  one  who  selects  the  subject  and  his  friends  will 

be  interested.  'T  must  attend  the  prayer-meeting  to- 
night because  they  have  my  subject."  ''Come  and 
hear  my  subject  discussed."  "I  want  you  to  speak 
to-night  on  my  text."  'T  hope  we  shall  have  a  good 
meeting,  for  I  chose  the  text."  A  method  which 
leads  to  looking  forward  with  expectation  has  much 
to  commend  it. 

b.  It  secures  subjects  in  which  the  people  are 
interested. 

The  prayer-meeting  is  the  people's  meeting.  This 
is  a  good  reason  why  they  should  choose  the  subjects 
directly. 

c.  It  gives  opportunity  to  adapt  the  subject  to 
the  circumstances. 

"He  hath  made  everything  beautiful  in  its  time." 
Timeliness  in  a  subject  helps  the  prayer-meeting. 


44  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

The  objections  to  this  method  are : 

a.  The   appointment  is  liable  to  be  overlooked 
occasionally. 

b.  The  absent  members  may  not  learn  the  sub- 
ject for  next  meeting. 

It  is  not  uncommon  to  hear  the  remark:  *T  was 
not  at  the  last  meeting  and  did  not  hear  the  subject 
until  I  came  in."  This  is  not  infrequently  the  omi- 
nous preface  to  a  long,  rambling  talk  which  confirms 
the  truth  of  the  statement. 

c.  The  selection  is  not  always  judicious. 

This  is  more  likely  to  be  the  case  than  when  the 
selection  is  made  by  an  experienced  committee. 

d.  Some  subjects  will  be  chosen  over  and  over 
again,   and  others  not  at  all. 

B.  A  second  method  is  to  have  a  committee  select 
subjects  and  leaders  for  six  months  or  a  year  in  ad- 
vance. 

The  advantages  of  this  method  are: 

a.  It  gives  timely  notice  of  the  subject  to  all; 

b.  Tends  to  equalize  the  privileges  and  duties  of 
the  members ; 

c.  Secures  a  wider  and  more  systematic  range 
of  subjects; 

d.  Avoids  the  introduction  of  unsuitable  topics. 
Its  disadvantages  are: 

a.  It  removes  the  meeting  further  from  the  peo- 
ple; 

b.  Has    less    adaptability    to    changing    circum- 
stances. 

C.  A  third  method  is  to  adopt  the  topics  selected 
by  a  Presbyterial  or  Synodical  committee. 

The  advantages  of  this  method  are: 

a.  It  saves  labor; 

b.  Gives  a  uniform  subject  to  a  number  of  con- 
gregations ; 


THE  PRAYER-MEETING  45 

c.     Secures   aids   similar  to  the   Sabbath   School 
helps. 
Its   disadvantages  are   the   same   as   in   the   second 
method. 

D.  A  fourth  method  is  to  use  the  Golden  Texts 
of  the  Sabbath  School  lessons. 

The  advantages  of  this  method  are : 

a.  Every  one  knows  the  subject; 

b.  There  is  access  to  Sabbath  School  helps; 

c.  People  are  already  interested  in  the  subject; 

d.  It  offers  an  aid  to  Sabbath  School  workers. 
Its  disadvantages  are: 

a.  It  tends  to  give  undue  attention  to  one  sub- 
ject; 

b.  Some  of  the  most  appropriate   subjects  are 
omitted ; 

c.  The   aim  of   the   Sabbath   School   is   instruc- 
tion, that  of  the  prayer-meeting  is  devotion ; 

d.  It  has  a  tendency  to  take  the  freshness  off 
Sabbath  School  teaching. 

The  above  are  the  four  principal  methods  known 
to  me  as  prevailing  in  our  congregations.  The  con- 
scientious pastor  will  diligently  seek  to  discover  the 
method  best  suited  to  his  field.  I  have  given  them 
thus  at  length  and  in  detail  because  of  the  great  im- 
portance that  attaches,  not  only  to  the  prayer-meet- 
ing topics,  but  to  the  method  of  their  selection.  If 
your  prayer-meeing  lacks  variety  and  freshness,  in- 
troduce a  new  method  of  selecting  the  topics.  Make 
a  trial  of  it  for  three  months.  You  will  be  surprised 
how  many  will  take  part  who  have  never  taken  part 
before ;  and  you  will  be  gratified  to  find  the  old  stand- 
bys  shaken  out  of  their  rut. 


46  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

II 

Hindrances  to  the  Prayer-Meeting. 

After  what  has  been  said  of  the  importance  of  the 
prayer-meeting,  we  must  all  feel  that  for  some  rea- 
son there  are  very  few  ideal  prayer-meetings.  There 
are  obstacles  in  the  way  of  success  that  sorely  try 
the  earnest  pastor.  If  what  I  have  to  say  does  not 
point  out  a  way  of  escape  from  these  difficulties,  it 
may  at  least  assist  you  to  bear  them.  I  can  say  in 
the  words  of  Peter:  ''Beloved,  think  it  not  strange 
concerning  the  fiery  trial  which  is  to  try  you,  as 
though  some  strange  thing  had  happened  unto  you." 

What  are  some  of  the  Hindrances,  and  how  shall 
we  overcome  them? 

I.  The  prayer-meeting  suffers  from  the  disposition 
of  people  to  choose  the  back  seats. 

It  would  not  seem  strange  that  those  who  occupy 
the  front  row  at  the  theatre  should  form  the  back 
row  at  the  prayer-meeting;  but  it  is  remarkable  that 
prominent  church  members  will  seek  the  remotest  cor- 
ners of  the  room.  It  is  a  very  serious  obstacle  in 
the  way  of  a  good  prayer-meeting. 

Dr.  Washington  Gladden  says:  "A  pastor  with 
people  in  the  back  seats  and  emptiness  between  him- 
self and  them,  feels  like  singing  pathetically: 

"  Though  sundered  far,  by  faith  we  meet 
About  a  common  mercy  seat' " 

This  is  not  such  an  insignificant  matter  as  it  seems. 
Murphy  says:  'When  the  people  are  scattered  over 
the  house,  back  by  the  door  or  around  the  walls,  there 
is  a  feeling  of  coldness  comes  over  the  whole  assem- 
bly. .  .  .  The  sensation  of  indifference  is  inevitably 
produced.  If  strangers  happen  to  be  present,  an  ex- 
ceedingly  unhappy   impression   is   made   upon   them. 


THE  PRAYER-MEETING  47 

The  minister  or  other  leader  is  chilled  by  seeing  noth- 
ing around  him  but  empty  seats." 

Admitting  the  evil,  what  is  the  remedy? 

A.  Some  turn  down  or  pile  away  all  but  a  few 
front  chairs  and  let  them  be  brought  out  as  the  peo- 
ple gather. 

My  observation  is  that  it  would  be  necessary  to  put 
them  under  lock  and  key  or  they  would  be  carried 
out  before  the  seats  were  half  filled. 

B.  Habitually  call  on  tfee  brethren  in  the  rear 
seats. 

Our  Synod  has  a  rule  of  procedure  that  when 
two  members  rise  and  address  the  moderator  at  the 
same  time,  the  floor  shall  be  awarded  to  the  member 
most  distant  from  the  moderator's  chair.  If  it  were 
made  a  rule  of  procedure  to  call  on  the  members  in 
the  rear  seats  first,  modesty  would  prompt  some  of 
them  to  move  forward. 

C.  By  quiet,  personal  persuasion,  seek  to  break  up 
the   habit. 

I  doubt  the  propriety  of  publicly  alluding  to  the 
fact  at  all,  or  showing  any  annoyance  about  it.  To 
scold  and  harangue  the  back  seats  is  worse  than  use- 
less. But  if  you  set  yourself  determinedly  to  break 
up  the  habit  by  tactful  personal  effort,  in  most  places 
you  will  succeed. 

2.  A  second  serious  hindrance  is  from  a  few  per- 
sons monopolizing  the  time. 

Speaking  of  this,  Dr.  Cuyler  says :  "Some  good 
people  mar  a  meeting  without  intending  it.  For  ex- 
ample, one  fluent  brother  gets  to  monopolizing  the 
time  by  the  inordinate  frequency,  or  the  inordinate 
length  of  his  utterances.  I  once  had  an  excellent 
church  member  who  spoke  regularly  at  every  prayer 
service,  and  it  requires  a  very  full  man  to  do  that 
profitably.  I  frankly  told  him  that  he  was  crowding 
others  out  oi  their  rights,  and  suggested  that  he  might 


48  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

better  address  the  Almighty  in  petition  sometimes, 
instead  of  always  addressing  his  neighbors  in  exhorta- 
tion.    He  accepted  it  kindly." 

Some  good  speakers  would  be  listened  to  more 
eagerly  if  they  relieved  their  talks  by  more  frequent 
flashes  of  silence. 

A.  Stir  up  the  silent  members  to  do  their  part. 

My  observation  is  that  this  foregoing  evil  is  fre- 
quently the  fault  of  those  who  refuse  to  do  anything. 
There  are  persons  who  find  fault  with  others  for 
monopolizing  the  time  who  would,  themselves,  sit  there 
and  let  the  meeting  die  and  then  watch  in  silence  be- 
side the  corpse,  rather  than  contribute  anything  to 
keep  it  alive. 

B.  Secure  the  promise  of  some  privately  that  they 
will   occupy  the  time. 

This  need  not  be  done  with  the  avowed  purpose 
.of  crowding  somebody  else  out,  but  with  that  result. 

C.  n  necessary,  speak  to  such  persons  of  their 
.^'ault. 

They  usually  know  it  themselves.  In  fact  it  is 
quite  common  to  hear  such  a  person  aggravate  his 
offense  by  repeated  apologies  and  by  tmconvincing 
assurances  that  he  will  not  take  any  time.  In  deal- 
ing with  such  a  case,  general  remarks  seldom  effect 
a  change.  And  yet  I  must  caution  you  to  use  the 
utmost  delicacy  and  care  not  to  wound  unnecessarily 
one  who,  from  a  sense  of  duty,  is  seeking  to  do  his 
part  in  the  prayer-meeting.  It  is  well  to  have  the  art 
of  the  woman  of  Tekoah  and  "fetch  about  this  form 
of  speech." 

3.  The  prayer-meeting  often  suffers  from  long 
common-place  speeches  and  prayers. 

This  evil  is  related  to  the  foregoing.     I  need  not 
Q  Hscuss  it.     You  have  all  seen  it.     It  is  almost  every- 
^^  'lere.     What  is  the  remedy? 
^\     JMake  a  rule  for  brevity. 


THE  pkatek-m:e:et'ing  49^ 

With  common  consent  to  a  three-minute  rule,  you 
need  not  make  it  an  issue  with  the  man  personally. 

B.  Place  a  clock  where  all  can  see  it. 

The  difficulty  is  that  everybody  sees  it  except  the 
offender,  and  he  drags  on  in  blissful  ignorance. 

C.  Secure  a  rapid  movement  in  the  meeting  by 
having  all  the  exercises  short. 

If  the  leader  takes  the  chair  two  or  three  minutes 
late,  then  mopes  over  the  psalm  book  two  or  three 
minutes  more,  then  with  deliberation  draws  one  leg  off 
the  other  knee  and  makes  two  or  three  ineffectual 
efforts  to  get  to  his  feet,  then  reads  a  lengthy  portion 
of  psalm  and  the  longest  chapter  in  the  book,  and 
prays  from  the  Creation  down  through  all  creation, 
he  has  delivered  the  prayer-meeting  over,  shaven  and 
shorn,  to  the  hand  of  the  Philistines. 

Reading  several  short  selections  bearing  directly  on 
the  subject,  rather  than  long  chapters;  singing  fre- 
quently, but  briefly;  offering  a  short,  pointed  prayer 
— all  this  by  the  leader  in  opening  the  meeting  will 
help.     Like  begets  like. 

D.  The  pastor  should  set  a  good  example. 

E.  As  a  last  resort  it  may  be  necessary  to  speak 
plainly  to  the  offender. 

4.  A  fourth  hindrance  to  the  prayer-meeting  comes 
from  grumblers  and  fault-finders. 

Dr.  Cuyler  says :  "It  commonly  requires  the  pres- 
ence of  several  sensible  people  to  make  a  good  prayer- 
meeting,  but  it  is  in  the  power  of  one  or  two  weak- 
minded  and  troublesome  people  to  mar  it  most 
wretchedly.  Some  people  of  this  sort  will  come  into 
a  meeting  as  moths  fly  into  a  candle;  they  stick  there 
like  the  moths,  but  instead  of  being  scorched  to  death, 
they  merely  extinguish  the  meeting." 

There  are  some  people  so  constituted  that  they 
never  see  the  bright  side  of  anything.  It  is  a  very 
unhappy  temperament,  and  speeches  made  habitually 


50  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

in  this  vein,  even  when  discussing  the  evils  of  the 
day,  may  do  much  to  injure  the  prayer-meeting.  Then 
such  people  are  sure  to  complain  of  the  meetings. 
They  will  even  scold  about  the  absentees  until  they 
make  those  who  are  present  wish  they  were  absent,  to 
escape  the  tirade. 

The  pastor  must  be  on  the  alert  not  to  allow  such 
persons  to  impart  to  the  prayer-meeting  the  outlook 
of  their  jaundiced  eyes.  The  prayer-meeting  is  no 
place  for  talking  the  church  down.  Habitual  grum- 
blers should  be  suppressed  or  they  will  suppress  the 
prayer-meeting.  Kindle  such  a  light  as  will  dispel 
the  darkness  and  drive  away  the  moles  and  bats  and 
owls.  The  prayer-meeting  is  not  the  place  for  politi- 
cal pessimism,  but  for  spiritual  uplift.  Make  it  your 
rule  to  send  the  people  home  with  the  impression  that 
they  have  had  a  good  meeting. 

5.  It  is  a  serious  hindrance  when  men  of  incon- 
sistent lives  take  a  prominent  part  in  the  prayer-meet- 
ing. 

Cuyler  says :  'There  may  be  cases  in  which  a  meet- 
ing is  seriously  disturbed  by  the  unwelcome  utterances 
of  persons  whose  characters  are  more  than  doubtful 
and  who  desire  to  gain  a  cheap  reputation  for  piety 
by  taking  part  in  prayer  or  exhortations.  Such  trans- 
gressors should  be  frankly  told  that  they  had  better 
remain  silent  until  they  are  ready  to  open  their  lips 
in  honest  confession." 

This  last  remark  is  noteworthy.  If  a  man  who 
has  gone  wrong  has  the  humility  fully  to  confess  his 
fault  and  to  seek  the  forgiveness  and  the  prayers  of 
his  brethren,  he  may  fill  a  prayer-room  with  a  fra- 
grance as  sweet  as  that  of  the  broken  alabaster  box. 
But  there  is  a  species  of  wordy  and  windy  parading 
of  one's  own  awful  guiltiness  which  only  nauseates 
the  auditors,  and  cannot  impose  upon  God. 

My  own  experience  is  that  there  is  no  class  of  of- 


THE  PRAYER-MEETING  51 

fenders  that  is  more  obnoxious  than  those  who  have 
gone  wrong  financially.  People  are  not  willing  to  be 
exhorted,  or  even  led  in  prayer,  by  one  who  has 
cheated  them.  Moody  says :  *'A  man  who  pays  fifty 
cents  on  the  dollar  when  he  could  pay  a  hundred 
cents  had  better  keep  still."  This  is  good  advice,  even 
if  he  couldn't  pay  his  debts,  provided  the  general  im- 
pression is  that  he  could,  or  if  his  inability  arises  from 
simple  neglect  or  carelessness. 

6.  The  last  hindrance  of  which  I  will  speak  is 
the  long  pauses  between  the  exercises. 

What  can  be  done  to  correct  this  evil? 

A.  Impress  the  elders  with  their  responsibility; 

B.  Engage   persons    privately    to   break    up    such 

pauses ; 

C.  Encourage    voluntary    psalm-singing    without 

reading ; 

D.  Urge  the  leader  of  the  singing  to  be  prompt 
with  the  music; 

E.  Turn  the  pauses  into  seasons  of  silent  prayer. 
This  is  the  most  important.     The  silences  are  the 

best  part  of  some  meetings.  It  should  be  impressed 
upon  all  that  when  silences  occur,  they  are  not  to  be 
considered  as  breaks  in  devotion,  but  that  all  hearts 
are  lifted  up  in  unison  to  God.  An  appropriate  peti- 
tion at  such  times  would  be : 

''My  closed  lips,  O  Lord,  by  Thee 
Let  them  be  opened: 
Then  shall  thy  praises  by  my  mouth 
Abroad  be  published." 

In  closing  these  lectures  on  the  prayer-meeting,  I 
would  again  urge  upon  you  that  you  resolve  that  as 
pastors  you  w^ill  give  great  care  and  attention  to  the 
improvement  of  the  prayer-meeting  service,  and  that 
you  will  carefully  look  after  those  who  willfully  and 
habitually  neglect  it. 

"And  let  us  consider  one  another  to  provoke  unto 


52  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

love  and  to  good  works;  not  forsaking  the  assem- 
bling of  ourselves  together  as  the  manner  of  some 
is;  but  exhorting  one  another,  and  so  much  the  more 
as' ye  see  the  day  approaching."     (Heb.  x,  24,  25.) 


LECTURE  VI 

THE  RELATION  OF  THE  SABBATH  SCHOOL 
TO  THE  CHURCH 

It  is  too  late  in  the  day  to  stop  to  discuss  the  im- 
portance of  the  Sabbath  School.  The  fact  that  many 
millions  throughout  all  Christendom  are  engaged  in 
its  exercises;  that  the  best  talent  of  the  churches  is 
employed  in  the  preparation  of  its  literature;  that  it 
receives  large  attention  from  the  Church  courts;  and 
that  the  deepest  interest  is  felt  in  the  discussions  of 
its  methods  and  plans  of  work  in  Sabbath  School  In- 
stitutes, Conventions,  and  Assemblies;  all  these  tes- 
tify to  the  important  place  which  the  Sabbath  School 
has  attained  among  the  activities  of  our  Church  life. 

The  following  testimonies  of  eminent  pastors,  as 
quoted  by  Murphy,  will  impress  the  claims  of  the 
Sabbath  School  upon  your  time  and  attention,  as  pas- 
tors. Rev,  Dr.  Ashbel  Green,  near  the  close  of  his 
life  said:  "If  I  had  my  ministry  to  go  over  again, 
I  would  give  more  attention  to  the  children."  Rev. 
Dr.  Samuel  Miller  gave  this  emphatic  testimony : 
"After  the  observation  and  experience  of  a  long  life 
I  have  come  decisively  to  the  conclusion  that,  if  I 
had  my  life  to  live  over  again,  I  would  pay  ten  times 
as  much  attention  to  the  children  and  young  people 
of  my  charge  as  I  ever  did.  If  I  were  now  about  to 
take  a  new  or  feeble  church,  I  would  consider  that  to 
give  attention  to  the  children  and  young  people  of  the 
neighborhood  would  be  one  of  the  most  certain  meth- 
ods of  collecting  a  large  congregation  that  could  be 

53 


54  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

employed."  Rev.  Dr.  S.  H.  Tyng  says:  "If  every 
pastor  would  give  one  sermon  on  every  Sunday  espe- 
cially addressed  to  the  young,  and  designed  and  pre- 
pared to  teach  them,  he  would  find  himself  enlarging 
his  direct  usefulness  in  this  particular  work,  and 
equally  advancing  the  value  and  benefit  of  every  other 
class  of  his  public  and  private  labors  in  religious  in- 
struction." Such  testimonies  as  these  from  aged  pas- 
tors, reviewing  their  life  work  from  the  threshold 
of  eternity,  should  have  much  weight  with  those  just 
entering  the  ministry.  Of  Him  who  is  our  example 
and  our  Lord  it  is  said :  *'He  shall  feed  His  flock  like 
a  Shepherd :  He  shall  gather  the  lambs  with  His  arm, 
and  carry  them  in  His  bosom."      (Isa.  xl,   ii.) 

Our  theme  to-day  is  The  Relation  of  the  Sabbath 
School  to  the  Church. 

I 

The  Sabbath  School  is  IDENTICAL  with  the  Church. 

The  Sabbath  School  is  the  Church  at  work.  To 
conceive  of  it  as  a  separate,  independent,  and  rival 
institution  set  up  alongside  the  Church  is  an  error 
of  other  days.  If  this  were  the  true  idea  of  the  Sab- 
bath School,  then  the  charge  that  it  is  without  Scrip- 
tural warrant  would  be  well-founded.  The  authority 
for  the  Sabbath  School  is  in  the  command  given  to 
the  elders  of  the  Church :  "Shepherdize  the  Church 
of  God,  which  He  hath  purchased  with  His  own 
blood."  (Acts  XX,  28.)  The  Sabbath  School  is  sim- 
ply the  Church  of  Christ,  exercising  the  authority 
with  which  He  has  invested  her,  and  employing  the 
talents  with  which  He  has  endowed  her,  to  do  the 
work  with  which  He  has  entrusted  her.  The  relation 
between  the  Sabbath  School  and  the  Church  is  one 
of  identity. 


SABBATH  SCHOOL  AND  CHURCH       55 

H 

The  Sabbath  School  Should  be  Subordinate  to  Church 
Authority. 

This  follows  from  the  relation  of  identity.  On  this 
subject  Bishop  John  H.  Vincent  in  his  work  entitled 
The  Modern  Sunday  School,  says :  "The  question  as 
to  the  original  authority  of  the  Sunday  School  will 
be  answered  according  to  the  theory  of  the  person 
questioned.  It  may  be  in  the  school  itself  as  an  in- 
dependent organization,  a  society  outside  of  all 
Churches  and  amenable  to  none.  It  may  be,  and  I 
think  in  every  case  shoidd  be,  from  the  Church  as  a 
divine  institution  established  to  do  a  given  work  and 
creating  the  Sunday  School  as  the  wisest  and  best 
method  for  doing  that  work.  Having  established  or 
recognized  the  method,  the  Church  as  a  local  body, 
or  the  Church  Synodical,  should  be  responsible  for 
everything  pertaining  to  the  school,  for  the  consti- 
tution or  plan  under  which  it  is  to  be  conducted,  and 
for  the  officers  who  are  to  have  control  for  this  pur- 
pose. These  should  make  regular  reports  to  the 
Church  in  her  governing  conference  or  committee,  or 
to  the  congregation  in  which  all  ecclesiastical  power  is 
lodged.  Authority  must  dwell  somewhere,  and  where 
more  appropriately  or  securely  than  in  the  Church  it- 
self ?"  With  the  principles  here  laid  down  by  Bishop 
Vincent,  I  agree  in  the  main. 

I.  The  Sabbath  School  of  the  congregation  should 
be  under  the  immediate  control  of  the  session. 

a.  In  the  choice  of  its  officers. 

b.  In  the  selection  of  its  teachers. 

c.  In  the  methods  of  its  work. 

d.  In  the  nature  and  scope  of  its  instructions. 
The  reason  of  all  this  is  obvious.     The  Church  is 

responsible  for  the  religious  instruction  and  training 
of  her  youth,  and  of  all  her  members ;  and  she  cannot 


56  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

shift  that  responsibiHty  to  other  shoulders.  How  this 
control  should  be  exercised  will  be  discussed  later. 
Suffice  it  here  to  say  that  the  authority  of  the  ses- 
sion over  the  school  should  be  unquestioned. 

2.  The  mission  schools  of  a  congregation  should 
be  under  the  control  of  the  session. 

Every  Sabbath  School  is  a  missionary  agent.  In 
every  neighborhood  where  there  is  a  Christless  home 
there  will  be  mission  scholars.  To  reach  these  is  one 
of  the  great  ends  of  the  Sabbath  School.  But  in  all 
large  towns,  and  in  cities,  there  should  be  established, 
in  outlying  districts,  what  are  distinctively  called  Mis- 
sion  Schools.  These  are  frequently  organized  and 
carried  on  under  the  leadership  of  some  earnest  man 
or  woman,  wholly  independent  of  Church  control. 
Such  schools  would  gain  immensely  by  being  placed 
under  the  supervision  of  a  devoted  pastor  and  a  judi- 
cious session.  The  gospel  gains  power  over  the 
hearts  and  lives  of  men  by  being  connected  with  the 
divine  institutions  of  the  Church.  When  such  a  field 
lies  open  the  authorities  of  the  Church  should  oc- 
cupy it  and  extend  their  supervision  over  it. 

3.  Even  a  union  school  would  be  better  under  the 
control  of  some  one  Church. 

I  would  prefer  to  labor  in  a  union  school  controlled 
by  any  body  of  evangelical  Christians  that  would  agree 
to  maintain  Scriptural  forms  of  worship,  rather  than 
in  a  so-called  union  school  organized  independently 
of  all  churches. 

HI 

The  Sabbath  School  Should  be  in  VITAL  Union  zvith 
the  Church. 

A  graft  may  be  inserted  into  a  living  tree  and  be 
held  in  its  place  by  bands  and  wax,  but  until  it  forms 


SABBATH  SCHOOL  AND  CHURCH       57 

a  vital  connection  with  the  tree  it  will  neither  grow 
nor  bear  fruit.  So  a  Sabbath  School  may  be  held  in 
an  external  connection  with  the  Church  by  the  bands 
and  cords  of  Church  authority,  but,  before  it  can 
flourish  and  become  fruitful,  it  must  have  such  vital 
union  with  the  Church  that  the  spiritual  forces  of  the 
Church's  life  will  flow  out  through  every  branch,  and 
twig,  and  leaf,  and  flower,  and  fruit  of  its  organism. 
How  shall  this  result  be  secured? 

1.  The  members  of  session  should  manifest  a  deep 
interest  in  the  school. 

Not  that  every  elder  should  be  a  teacher.  Many 
an  elder  has  no  gift  in  that  direction.  Such  would 
prove  their  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  school  by 
not  teaching.  But  each  one  should  manifest  interest 
by  his  presence,  by  intimacy  with  the  scholars  and 
teachers ;  by  words  of  approval  and  encouragement ; 
by  his  kindly  helpful  suggestions  for  improvement ; 
and  by  his  prayers. 

2.  All  the  members   of  the  Church  should  be  in 
the  school. 

The  lawful  exceptions  to  this  rule  are  not  sufficient 
to  modify  the  statement.  Those  who  excuse  them- 
selves from  attendance  on  the  ground  that  they  are 
unfit  to  be  teachers  bear  witness  to  their  need  to  be 
taught.  No  one  is  too  old  to  study  the  Bible  or  too 
wise  to  receive  instruction. 

In  some  country  congregations  they  have  what  has 
been  aptly  named  ''the  horse-shed  class."  It  is  usu- 
ally composed  of  men  who  seem  to  think  they  know 
too  much  to  spend  their  time  in  the  simple  exercises 
of  the  Sabbath  School;  and  so  they  sit  on  the  fence 
and  chew  tobacco  and  talk  worldliness,  while  those 
of  lower  attainments  pore  over  their  Bibles,  or  engage 
in  services  of  worship.  The  pastor  needs  great  wis- 
dom and  tact  in  approaching  this  misguided  class, 
but  he  should  not  rest  satisfied  until  it  is  broken  up. 


S8  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

I  was  present  in  a  Sabbath  School  Convention  where 
the  question  was  asked,  "How  shall  we  keep  the  chil- 
dren in  the  Sabbath  School,  as  they  grow  up?"  The 
answer  was  given.  "Build  a  wall  of  grown  folks 
between  them  and  the  door."  The  difficulty  with 
many  schools  is  that  there  is  a  wall  of  grown  folks 
built  outside  the  door  and  it  keeps  them  out,  in- 
stead of  keeping  them  in. 

3.  All  the  children  of  the  Sabbath  School  should 
attend  the  Church  services. 

Bishop  Vincent  deals  earnestly  with  this  question. 
He  says:  "In  this  connection,  I  make  earnest  pro- 
test against  making  the  Sunday  School  a  substitute 
for  public  service  of  worship  and  preaching,  especially 
in  the  case  of  little  children.  The  service  is  for  them 
and  they  should  be  required  to  attend  it  regularly." 

I  am  familiar  with  the  usual  objections,  viz: 

a.  "The   child   cannot  understand  the  sermon." 
The  answer  to  this  is: 

(i)     Adults  do  not  all  understand  the  sermon. 

(2)  Children  understand  more  than  we  sup- 
pose. 

(3)  Sermons  of  more  simplicity  and  plainness 
would  be  an  advantage  to  both  children 
and  adults. 

b.  "Children  are  disinclined  to  go." 
The  answer  to  this  is: 

(i)  It  is  not  a  matter  of  the  children's  choice, 
but  of  parental  authority.  The  children 
should  not  remember  the  day  when  they 
did  not  attend  preaching. 

(2)  Their  disinclination  cannot  set  aside  the 
claims  of  God. 

(3)  They  are  not  excused  from  week-day 
schools  because  they  are  disinclined  to 
attend. 


SABBATH  SCHOOL  AND  CHURCH       59 

c.     "We    may    prejudice    our    children    against 
church   by    requiring   them   to    attend."     To 
this  we  answer: 
(i)     The  habit  of  church  going  will  overcome 
the  prejudice. 

(2)  The  habit  of  non-church  going  is  more 
dangerous  than  the  prejudice  caused  by 
parental  discipline. 

(3)  Experience  proves  the  contrary. 

The  men  and  women  of  our  day  who  are  most 
faithful  in  attendance  upon  the  sanctuary  are  those 
who  were  trained  to  it  as  children.  "Train  up  a  child 
in  the  way  he  should  go,  and,  when  he  is  old,  he  will 
not  depart  from  it." 

4.  The  services  of  worship  in  the  Sabbath  School 
should  harmonize  with  the  Church  service. 

It  is  a  mistake  to  introduce  forms  of  worship  into 
the  Sabbath  School  which  are  not  employed  in  the 
Church.  As  I  have  already  said  in  another  connec- 
tion, the  introduction  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
"Bible  Songs"  into  our  Sabbath  Schools  is  wholly  un- 
warranted and  to  be  condemned.  Our  own  new  ver- 
sion should  be  brought  into  all  the  services:  Sabbath 
school,  young  people's  societies,  prayer  meetings, 
and  church  services. 

5.  The  children  should  be  made  acquainted  with 
the  Church  and  her  glorious  work. 

Murphy  says:  "The  children  should  be  made  to 
see  the  superior  advantages  which  the  Church  has 
above  every  mere  institution  of  men.  They  should  be 
taught  her  honorable  history,  and  they  should  be  kept 
well  acquainted  with  the  various  projects  she  is  carry- 
ing on  for  the  purpose  of  saving  and  sanctifying  the 
human  race.  The  more  they  are  made  to  know  of 
the  Church,  the  more  they  will  be  interested  in  her 
and  be  drawn  to  the  fold.  They  should  be  made  to 
feel  that  the  Church  is  theirs  and  awakened  to  a  lev- 


6o  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

ing  concern  in  all  her  affairs.  They  should  also  be 
taught  that  they  have  duties  toward  the  Church,  to 
help  forward  her  interests,  to  love  her,  and  to  strive 
to  bring  others  to  love  her." 

A  little  reflection  upon  these  words,  and  upon  the 
impression  generally  made  by  Sabbath-school  teach- 
ing, will  convince  us  that  the  Sabbath  School  is  not 
held  close  enough  to  the  heart  and  life  of  the  Church. 

6.  We  should  cultivate  in  the  Sabbath  School  a 
sincere  and  intelligent  denominational  attach- 
ment. 

Murphy  says :  'Tf  patriotism  loves  its  own  Coun- 
try, should  not  piety  love  its  own  Church?  Our  own 
denomination,  whatever  it  is,  we  think  to  be  the  best, 
as  we  show  by  our  connection  with  it.  Should  we 
not  teach  our  children  that  we  do  so,  sincerely,  be- 
lieve? To  stay  them  in  the  midst  of  wildly  floating 
theories,  to  fix  them  in  the  possession  of  the  blessings 
of  the  house  of  God,  it  is  deeply  important  that  all 
our  children  should  be  taught  to  love  their  own 
Church." 

In  this  matter  great  stress  is  to  be  laid  on  the 
phrase,  "An  intelligent  attachment."  Attachment  to 
a  denomination  is  comparatively  valueless  unless  it 
springs  from  love  for  the  distinctive  truth  held  by 
that  denomination,  intelligently  apprehended. 

'Tntelligent  attachment"  includes  three  things: 

a.  To  know  the  truth. 

b.  To  love  the  truth. 

c.  To  live  the  truth. 

There  cannot  be  intelligent  attachment  to  any  truth 
which  we  do  not  know;  nor  attachment  of  any  kind 
to  truth  which  we  do  not  love;  nor  abiding  attach- 
ment to  any  truth  which  we  do  not  embody  practically 
in  our  lives.  There  will  be  vital  union  between  the 
Sabbath  School  and  the  Church  when  both  are  united 
to  the  living  truth  of  the  living  God. 


SABBATH  SCHOOL  AND  CHURCH       6i 

7.     It  should  have  a  place  in  the  services  of  the 
sanctuary. 

a.  In  the  prayers. 

Officers,  teachers  and  scholars  should  feel  the 
heart-throbs  of  the  Church  in  her  prayers  in  their 
behalf. 

b.  By  special  sermons. 

(i)  On  the  Sabbath  School. 
(2)  To  the  Sabbath  School. 
My  own  custom  in  the  later  years  of  my  pastorate 
was  to  preach  to  the  Sabbath  School  the  first  Sab- 
bath of  each  quarter  and  to  especially  invite  the  chil- 
dren of  the  different  mission  schools  to  these  services. 
On  such  occasions  I  have  spoken  to  over  two  hundred 
children,  largely  mission  scholars.  I  look  back  upon 
those  services  as  among  the  most  delightful  of  my 
pastorate.  I  do  not  know  that  I  helped  the  children 
greatly,  but  I  do  know  how  much  they  helped  me. 

IV 

The   Sabbath   School   should    be  Supported    by    the 
Church. 

It  is  remarkable  how  difficult  it  frequently  is  to 
secure  a  generous  support  of  the  Sabbath  School  by 
the  congregation.  Congregations  which  pour  out 
their  money  freely  for  other  causes  will  allow  their 
own  Sabbath  School  to  suffer  for  financial  aid.  Dr. 
Wilcox  says:  "The  pecuniary  support  of  the  school 
must  go  with  the  control  of  it.  A  man  who  sends 
off  his  son  to  earn  his  own  living  can  hardly  expect 
from  him  an  implicit  obedience.  Many  a  scholar  that 
belongs  to  a  church  to-day  that  liberally  pays  its  pas- 
tor, choir,  and  sexton,  might  well  cry:  'How  many 
hired  servants  of  my  father  have  bread  enough  and 
to   spare,  and  I  perish  with  hunger !' "     Of  course, 


62  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

collections  will  be  taken  up  in  the  Sabbath  School, 
but  these  should  not  be  expended  on  the  school  itself, 
but  used  to  develop  in  the  children  the  grace  of  giving 
for  the  benefit  of  others. 

The  expenses  of  the  Sabbath  School  should  always 
be  included  in  the  financial  scheme  for  the  year,  and 
should  be  calculated  on  a  generous  scale.  'There  is 
that  giveth,  and  yet  increaseth ;  and  there  is  that  with- 
holdeth  more  than  is  meet,  and  it  tendeth  to  poverty." 


LECTURE  VII 

THE  RELATION   OF  THE  PASTOR  TO  THE 
SABBATH   SCHOOL 

Having  considered  the  relation  of  the  Sabbath 
School  to  the  Church,  it  follows  naturally  to  inquire 
what  is  the  relation  of  the  pastor  to  the  Sabbath 
School?  On  this  subject  views  differ.  Some  very 
eminent  preachers  take  the  ground  that  the  Sabbath 
School  has  no  claim  upon  their  time,  that  their  busi- 
ness is  to  preach  the  gospel.  Others  magnify  the 
claims  of  the  Sabbath  School,  even  above  the  claims 
of  the  pulpit  and  neglect  the  preparation  of  sermons 
to  attend  to  the  details  of  Sabbath-school  work.  An- 
other large  class  admit  its  claims,  theoretically,  and 
almost  entirely  overlook  them  practically.  Let  us, 
therefore,  study  the  question  in  the  spirit  of  honest 
inquiry,  and  seek  to  reach  settled  convictions  as  to 
what  place  the  Sabbath  School  shall  have  in  the  dis- 
tribution of  our  time  as  pastors. 

I 
Usually,  the  Pastor  should  not  be  the  Superintendent 
of  the  Sabbath  School. 
I.     Because   it   draws  too  heavily  on  his  nervous 

force. 
The  supervision  and  control  of  the  Sabbath  School 
require  effort.  The  superintendent  must  be  alert 
and  active,  not  merely  during  the  opening  and  closing 
exercises,  but  during  the  session  of  the  school.  It  is 
very  important  that  the  minister  should  come  to  his 
pulpit  work  with  all  the  freshness  and  vigor  of  which 
he  is  naturally  possessed. 

63 


64  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

2.  This  work  can  be  well  done  by  others. 

If  it  were  true  that  no  person  but  the  pastor  could 
do  the  work  well,  it  might  be  his  duty  to  undertake 
it,  even  at  the  expense  of  pulpit  power.  But  experi- 
ence shows  that  many  of  the  most  successful  super- 
intendents are  laymen.  There  are  duties  which  the 
pastor  himself  must  perform.  As  far  as  possible  let 
him  reserve  himself  for  these,  and  develop  the  gifts 
of  his  people  in  the  other  services. 

3.  It  trains  the  congregation  to  depend  too  much 
on  the  pastor. 

It  is  a  misfortune  for  a  congregation  to  be  de- 
pendent upon  any  man.  It  is  no  kindness  to  the  peo- 
ple for  the  pastor  to  carry  the  burdens  that  belong 
to  them ;  for  when  he  has  killed  himself  doing  it,  they 
have  become  too  weak  to  carry  them  themselves.  It 
is  no  small  compliment  to  our  Covenanter  people  to 
say,  that,  while  none  honor  their  pastors  more  than 
they,  few  depend  on  them  less.  If  the  pastor  is 
absent  for  a  Sabbath,  or  from  a  prayer-meeting,  the 
work  still  goes  on.  Where  you  find  a  congregation 
that  gives  up  its  services  when  the  pastor  is  away, 
you  have  found  one  that  is  getting  ready  to  die.  This 
independence  is  promoted  by  keeping  the  prayer- 
meeting  and  the  Sabbath  School  largely  in  the  hands 
of  the  people.  When  a  prominent  pastor  went  out  of 
our  denomination,  leaving  the  New  Castle  congre- 
gation without  a  shepherd,  that  congregation  paid  a 
high  compliment  to  his  training  by  marching  straight 
forward  without  losing  a  step. 

II 

Circumstances  May  Arise  in  which  It  is  the  Duty  of 
the  Pastor  to  be  the  Superintendent. 

I.     When  only  one  preaching  service  is  required, 
the  pastor  should  aim  to  have  two  services:  if 


PASTOR  AND  SABBATH  SCHOOL        65 

not  in  the  congregation,  then  at  some  outpost. 
In  case  this  fails,  he  may  take  charge  of  the 
school. 

2.  In  a  new  field  where  no  one  qualified  is  avail- 
able. 

In  founding  a  new  congregation  it  is  of  great  im- 
portance that  the  Sabbath  School  be  started  right  and 
carried  to  the  highest  point  of  efficiency.  It  not  in- 
frequently happens,  that,  in  the  fewness  of  numbers, 
no  one  can  be  found  of  sufficient  knowledge,  tact, 
and  experience  to  be  safely  entrusted  with  the  charge 
of  the  school.  In  such  circumstances  the  earnest  pas- 
tor will,  for  a  time,  over-burden  himself,  rather  than 
let  the  work  fall  into  inefficient  hands. 

3.  Where  the  Sabbath  School  has  fallen  into  ruts 
and  no  one  else  can  lift  it  out. 

It  sometimes  happens  that  an  old  man  has  been 
superintendent  for  years  and  has  outserved  his  use- 
fulness. He  is  occupying  the  place  to  the  manifest 
injury  of  the  school,  and  yet  it  seems  impossible  to 
drop  him  out.  Perhaps  he  would  willingly  give  way 
to  the  pastor,  but  would  be  deeply  wounded  if  any 
other  were  put  in  his  place.  In  such  circumstances 
it  might  become  the  duty  of  the  pastor  to  accept  the 
place  until  such  time  as  he  could  transfer  it  to  other 
hands. 

These  and  other  exceptional  cases  may  suspend  the 
rule,  but  they  do  not  set  it  aside  permanently. 

Ill 

Usually,  the  Pastor  should  not  he  a  Teacher  in  the 
School. 

I.     For  the  same   reasons   that  he  should  not  be 

the  superintendent. 
Others  can  do  the  work  of  teaching;  it  will  be  the 


66  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

means  of  growth  and  development  to  them  to  do  it ; 
and  the  minister's  strength  should  be  reserved  for 
other  services. 

2.  Because   the    pastor's   class    is   likely   to    over- 
shadow the   other   classes. 

Naturally  the  pastor  should  be  able  to  make  his 
class  superior  to  the  others.  The  tendency,  therefore, 
is  to  make  excuses  to  get  into  the  pastor's  class. 
Other  teachers  feel  uncomfortable,  not  so  much  be- 
cause they  cannot  rival  the  pastor,  as  because  they 
feel  that  their  scholars  would  prefer  to  be  in  his 
class. 

3.  Because  the  pastor's  teaching  should  be  done 
at  a  point  where  it  will  reach  the  whole  school. 

In  relieving  the  pastor  from  obligation  to  be  either 
the  superintendent  of  the  school  or  the  teacher  of  a 
class,  there  is  no  intention  of  depriving  the  school 
of  his  services.  He  should  be  more  than  a  teacher, 
i.  e.,  a  teacher  of  the  teachers,  in  Normal  Class  and 
in  Teachers'  Meeting. 

IV 

The  Pastor   should   be   the   Pastor   of   the   Sabbath 
School. 

I.     He   should   exercise  his  pastoral  office   in  the 
school  itself. 

a.  He  should  visit  the  school  regularly.  His 
coming  into  the  school  should  be  like  the  ris- 
ing of  the  sun,  bringing  both  light  and 
warmth. 

b.  He  should  acquaint  himself  fully  with  the 
character  of  the  work  done. 

As  the  pastor,  he  has  a  responsibility  for  the  effi- 
ciency of  the  school.  The  officers  and  teachers  and 
scholars  should  all  feel  the  influence  of  his  personality 


PASTOR  AND  SABBATH  SCHOOL       6^ 

in  their  work.  It  will  have  a  beneficial  effect  upon 
the  deportment  of  the  classes  and  will  quicken  the 
diligence  and  fidelity  of  the  teachers  if  they  feel  con- 
stantly the  gentle  but  firm  pressure  of  the  pastor's 
hand. 

c.     He  should  be  recognized  as  the  superior  offi- 
cer in  the  school. 

Not  that  the  pastor  should  officiously  interfere  with 
the  regular  work  of  teachers  or  superintendent,  but  it 
should  be  perfectly  understood  that  he  is  at  liberty 
to  come  in  and  assume  charge  of  the  school  or  of 
any  part  of  its  exercises  without  being  regarded  as 
an  intruder  or  a  usurper.  The  Sabbath  School  is  a 
part  of  his  pastoral  charge  and  he  is  the  superior 
officer  in  it.  Where  a  mission  school  is  properly 
organized  in  connection  with  the  congregation,  the 
relation  of  the  pastor  to  it  is  the  same  as  to  the  con- 
gregational school. 

2.     The  pastor  should  visit  the  scholars  regularly 
in   their  homes : 

a.  So  that  the  children  may  feel  that  they  have 
a  pastor. 

A  certain  respect  is  felt  for  the  minister  of  God, 
even  in  the  homes  of  the  Christless  and  the  irreligious. 
And  while  the  children  in  these  homes  cannot  be  ex- 
pected to  have  that  intelligent  appreciation  of  a  pas- 
toral visit  that  is  found  in  the  homes  of  our  people, 
still  a  new  and  helpful  influence  comes  into  their  lives 
the  moment  they  are  made  to  feel  that  they  are  the 
objects  of  pastoral  oversight  and  solicitude.  In  some 
way  it  links  the  life  with  God. 

b.  That  the  pastor  may  become  personally  ac- 
quainted with  the  children. 

It  is  worth  a  persistent  effort  to  secure  such  ac- 
quaintance with  mission  children  as  to  be  able  to  call 
them  by  their  names.  It  is  humiliating  after  you  have 
passed  a  group  of  children  on  the  street  and  they 


68  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

have  looked  up  expectantly  into  your  face,  to  hear  the 
scoffer  among  them  say :  "A — ah,  he  don't  know 
you !"  Now  the  best  way  to  ''know  them"  is  by  home 
visits. 

c.  That  the  parents  may  know  that  he  is  caring 
for  their  children. 

The  pastor  needs  no  better  warrant  for  calling  on 
a  family  than  the  fact  that  the  children  are  attending 
his  school.  Ask  to  see  the  children.  Let  it  be  under- 
stood that  you  have  called  on  their  account.  Parents 
will  not  resent  your  interest  in  their  little  ones.  You 
may  even  win  the  parents. 

d.  That  he  may  be  impressed  with  his  responsi- 
bility for  the  saving  of  their  souls. 

A  visit  to  the  homes  of  the  children  will  often  re- 
veal that  their  only  hope  of  salvation  is  in  what  he 
and  his  church  can  do  for  them.  Oh,  how  our  hearts 
would  soften  toward  the  wicked,  hardened,  blessed 
little  wretches  which  so  try  our  patience  and  weaken 
our  faith,  if  we  only  knew  the  misery,  and  hardship, 
and  cruelty  of  their  home  life.  For  these  and  many 
other  reasons,  the  pastor  should  visit  all  the  children 
of  his  Sabbath  School  as  he  does  the  members  of  his 
flock. 

3.     He  should  visit  the   members   of   the   Sabbath 
School   in   sickness. 

Where  the  families  from  which  the  children  come 
belong  to  other  churches,  discretion  is  necessary  not 
to  give  ground  of  complaint  of  proselytism.  The 
Golden  Rule  is  an  excellent  guide  in  such  cases. 

I  remark — 

a.     Such  visits  are  appreciated  by  children. 

There  is  danger  that  the  young  pastor  will  not 
know,  and  that  the  old  pastor  will  forget,  that  quite 
young  children  are  comforted  and  helped,  in  sickness, 
by  a  pastoral  visit.  I  have  more  than  once  been  re- 
proved by  the  remark  of  a  little  child,  that  I  did  not 


PASTOR  AND  SABBATH  SCHOOL       69 

come  to  see  him  in  sickness ;  and  I  have  been  made 
glad  by  the  manifestation  of  pleasure  on  the  part  of 
little  sufferers  when  I  came  to  the  bedside."^ 

b.     Such  visits  may  win  the  hearts  of  the  parents. 

When  hearts  are  softened  by  the  blows  of  affliction 
or  solemnized  by  the  imminence  of  death,  the  gospel 
message  frequently  finds  an  entrance  where  it  has 
long  been  sought  in  vain.  Even  the  godless  welcome 
the  minister  in  such  an  hour.  Any  failure  on  the 
part  of  the  minister  to  do  his  duty  then  may  alienate 
from  the  Church  those  who  might  have  been  won  to 
Christ  and  to  heaven. 

4.     He   should  preach   special   sermons  adapted  to 
the  capacities  of  the  children. 

There  should  be  something  in  every  sermon  suited 
to  childhood.  It  is  wrong  to  insist  that  the  children 
should  attend  church  and  then  provide  nothing  for 
their  needs.  We  would  not  invite  children  to  a  ban- 
quet merely  as  spectators,  to  look  on  and  be  good 
while  the  grown  folks  fed  on  the  rich  dainties.  But 
besides  this  regular  provision,  there  should  be  special 
sermons  for  children.     These  should  be — 

a.  Brief :   i.  e.,   the  whole  service   less  than  an 
hour. 

It  is  helpful  to  sing  after  each  point,  allowing  the 
children  to  stand  during  the  singing.  When  the  in- 
terest begins  to  flag  it  is  time  to  close. 

b.  Chaste  and  simple  in  language. 
Recently,  one  of  our  ministers  announced  that  he 

would  preach  a  sermon  to  the  children.  The  children 
were  present,  eager  and  expectant.  The  opening  sen- 
tence ran  thus :  "Children  are  the  normal  conser- 
vators of  the  public  weal."  The  children  must  have 
wondered  what  he  had  called  them.     They  might  have 

*  At  this  point  Dr.  George  was  in  the  habit  of  recalling  a 
last  visit  with  President  Dr.  W.  P.  Johnston's  two  children, 
Elinor  and  Jimmie,  stricken  with  scarlet  fever. 


70  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

felt  like  the  boy  when  one  said  to  him:  *'Why,  my 
little  fellow,  you  are  quite  a  philosopher."  And  he 
replied :     "  I  hope  that  means  no  harm." 

c.  They   should  be  picturesque. 

Children  love  pictures,  and  good  word  pictures  fas- 
cinate them.  Narrative,  anecdote,  illustration,  must 
characterize  the  children's  sermon. 

d.  They  should  be  tender  and  sympathetic. 
Children  are   reached  through  their  emotional  na- 
tures.    But  the  pathos  must  be  real.     They  are  sharp 
detectives. 

e.  They    should    contain    the    marrow    of    the 
gospel. 

It  is  a  sin  to  choose  a  trifling,  insignificant  theme. 
An  Action  sermon  may  be  changed  to  a  Children's 
sermon.  Great  care  in  the  choice  of  texts  is  neces- 
sary. Genesis  xvi,  13:  **Thou  God  seest  me"; 
I  Kings  iii,  5 :  ''Ask  what  I  shall  give  thee" ;  John 
i,  43:  "Follow  me";  I  Kings  xvii,  13:  "Make  me 
a  little  cake  first."  No  theme  is  too  big  for  a  chil- 
dren's sermon,  providing  it  is  a  gospel  theme:  for 
the  big  truths  are  plain  truths. 


LECTURE  VIII 

THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  TEACHERS' 
NORMAL  CLASS 

It  was  stated  in  the  last  lecture  that  the  pastor 
should  do  his  teaching,  in  connection  with  the  Sab- 
bath School,  at  a  point  where  it  would  benefit  the 
whole.  It  will  be  the  aim  of  this  and  the  following 
lecture  to  show  how  this  may  be  done. 


The  Inefficiency  of  Teachers  is  a  Prolific  Source  of 
Weakness  in  the  Sabbath  Schools. 

I.  This  fact  is  recognized  by  the  leaders  in  Sab- 
bath-school work. 

H.  Clay  Trumbull  opens  his  excellent  volume  on 
''Teachers  and  Teaching"  with  the  following  state- 
ment: 

"All  Sunday-school  teachers  ought  to  be  teachers 
in  the  Sunday  School.  Being  teachers  in  the  Sunday 
School,  they  ought  to  teach  in  the  Sunday  School. 
In  order  to  teach  in  the  Sunday  School,  they  ought 
to  know  what  teaching  is.  An  initial  purpose  of  this 
volume  is,  so  to  designate  and  define  the  nature  and 
methods,  and  so  to  indicate  the  comparative  rarity 
of  proper  Sunday-school  teaching,  as  will  enable  Sun- 
day-school teachers  to  know  whether  or  not  they  are, 
or  ever  have  been,  teachers  in  the  Sunday  School. 
There  is  practical  need  of  honest  doubt  at  this  point; 
especially  on  the  part  of  those  who  have  never  sup- 
posed there  was  any  cause  of  questioning  here." 

These  words  seem  to  be  severe;  yet  Dr.  Trumbull 
71 


72  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

was    very    familiar    with    Sabbath-school    work,    and 
especially  in  the  large  denominations. 

2.  This  inefficiency  is  not  mainly  the  fault  of  the 
teachers. 

Perhaps  no  one  knows  better  than  the  teachers 
themselves  how  poorly  equipped  they  are  for  their 
work;  and  no  one  more  sincerely  regrets  it  than  do 
they.  The  fault  is  with  the  Church  in  not  giving 
such  attention  to  the  selection  and  training  of  teachers 
as  the  importance  of  the  work  demands. 

3.  One  remedy  lies  in  Normal-class  training  for 
Sabbath-school  teachers. 

The  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
in  1879  took  the  following  action: 

"Resolved,  That  the  Assembly  approve  of  the  action 
of  the  Board  of  Publication  in  preparing  a  three 
years'  course  of  Normal-class  instruction,  and 
earnestly  recommend  the  formation  of  Normal  Classes 
wherever  practicable." 

Similar  recommendations  have  been  made  by  our 
own  synod  and  in  some  instances  carried  out. 

II 

The  Specific  Aim  of  the  Normal  Class. 

This   is   twofold — 

I.  To  instruct  teachers  in  the  knowledge  of  the 
Bible. 

The  first  essential  to  teaching  is  knowing.  No 
matter  what  skill  any  one  may  have  in  the  art  of 
teaching,  if  he  does  not  know  anything  he  has  noth- 
ing to  teach.  The  Bible  is  the  Sabbath-school  text- 
book. "All  Scripture  is  given  by  inspiration  of  God, 
and  is  profitable  for  doctrine,  for  reproof,  for  cor- 
rection, for  instruction  in  righteousness:  that  the  man 
of  God  may  be  perfect,  thoroughly  furnished  unto  all 


THE  TEACHERS'  NORMAL  CLASS        73 

good  works."     (H  Tim.  iii,   16,   17.)     The  first  aim 
of  the  Normal  Class  is  to  impart  Bible  instruction. 

2.     To  train  teachers  in  the  art  of  teaching. 

The  mere  possession  of  Scriptural  knowledge  will 
not  make  an  efficient  teacher.  There  must  be  ability 
to  transfer  knowledge  to  the  mind  of  another.  Hence 
the  second  aim  of  the  Normal  Class  is  training  in  the 
art  of  teaching.  Bishop  John  H.  Vincent,  speaking 
of  Normal  Class  training,  says  it  involves — 
(i)     The   acquisition   of   knowledge. 

(2)  The  testing  of  the  knowledge  thus  acquired. 

(3)  The  utilizing  of  such  knowledge  for  teach- 
ing purposes. 


HI 

The  Necessity  for  the  Normal  Class. 

1.  Other  professions  have  schools  of  preparation. 

We  have  Medical  Colleges  for  the  training  of  phy- 
sicians ;  Law  Schools  for  the  education  of  lawyers ; 
Theological  Seminaries  for  the  preparation  of  minis- 
ters, and  Normal  Schools  for  the  instruction  of  public 
school  teachers.  And  even  kindergarten  work  de- 
mands a  course  of  study.  Why  should  it  be  supposed 
that  the  religious  teaching  of  the  young  may  be  safely 
entrusted  to  unskilled,   untaught  educators? 

2.  Usually,  Sabbath-school  teachers  have  little  time 
for  immediate  preparation. 

In  medicine,  law,  theology,  or  public  school  teach- 
ing, the  whole  time  is  devoted  to  the  study  and  prac- 
tice of  the  profession.  The  practitioner  is  a  man 
of  one  work.  Not  so  the  Sabbath-school  teacher. 
As  has  been  well  said:  ''His  work  is  performed 
under  the  pressure  of  secular  occupations.  Mothers 
from   the   nursery;    merchants   and   clerks    from   the 


74  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

counter;  farmers  from  the  field;  lawyers  from  the 
bar;  jurists  from  the  bench;  physicians  from  the  bed- 
side; students  from  the  recitation  room."  Many  of 
them  are  wholly  deficient  in  mental  discipline,  and 
with  no  time  for  preparation  must  make  sad  work 
with  the  brain  of  the  pupil  and  the  Book  of  God  on 
the  Sabbath.  It  is  unreasonable  to  expect  that  such 
teachers  can  have  fitness  for  their  work  without 
preparation. 

3.     Because   Sabbath-school   teaching  demands  the 
very  highest  and  best  work. 

a.  The  immortal  soul  is  the  material  on  which 
it  works. 

b.  The    Divine    Word    is   the    instrument   with 
which  it  works. 

c.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  the  agent  through  whom 
it  works. 

d.  Eternal  life  is  the  goal  for  which  it  works. 
Arguing  for  the  necessity  for   Normal-class  train- 
ing  for   Sabbath-school   teachers   is   like   proving   an 
axiom. 


IV 

What  should  be  Embraced  in  a  Normal  Course? 

I.     Instruction  as  to  the  Sabbath  School  itself. 

a.  As  to  the  Scripture  warrant  for  it. 
Teachers  should  have  a  full  persuasion  that  they  are 

engaged  in  the  Lord's  work  and  that  they  are  doing  it 
in  the  Lord's  way. 

b.  As  to  its  relation  to  the  Church. 

The  Sabbath  School  would  be  more  efficient  as  a 
missionary  agent  and  as  a  nursery  to  the  Church,  if 
both  teachers  and  scholars  were  more  impressed  with 
its  vital  relation  to  the  Church  of  Christ. 


THE  TEACHERS'  NORMAL  CLASS        75 

c.  As    to    the    duties    of    the    Sabbath-school 
teacher. 

Much  of  the  failure  in  Sabbath-school  work  is 
due  to  the  ignorance  of  teachers  as  to  the  scope  of 
their  duties.  Many  regard  them  as  confined  to  the 
Sabbath-school  hour.  They  should  be  instructed, 
both  as  to  what  the  duties  of  the  teacher  are,  and  how 
to  perform  them.  For  instance,  visiting  the  scholars 
in  their  homes,  and  in  sickness,  interesting  themselves 
in  their  scholars  as  regards  their  secular  affairs,  their 
associations  and  reading,  and  their  school  life. 

d.  As  to  the  duties  of  Sabbath-school  officers. 
The  Sabbath  School  is  an  organization  in  which  the 

duties  of  the  several  officers — superintendent,  secre- 
tary, treasurer,  and  librarian,  bring  them  into  closest 
contact  with  the  teachers  in  their  work.  Sometimes 
the  contact  becomes  conflict.  It  is  necessary  to  the 
smooth  running  of  the  machinery  that  the  limits  of 
each  office  be  well  understood  and  conscientiously  ob- 
served. The  uninstructed  teacher  is  liable  to  assume 
the  prerogatives  of  the  superintendent  and  the  pastor 
by  changing  studies,  grading  classes,  or  choosing  an 
assistant  or  a  substitute  without  any  consultation. 

2.     Instruction  in  the  Bible  as  the  Sabbath-school 
text-book. 

The  Bible  is  the  text-book.  All  other  manuals  of 
instruction  are  subordinate  to  this.  When  the  Cate- 
chisms, the  Testimony  and  the  Confession  of  Faith 
are  employed,  it  should  be  understood  that  they  are 
used  as  aids  to  Bible  study. 

A  Normal  Course  of  Bible  study  might  include — 
a.     Studies    in    Bible    Chronology,    History,    and 
Geography,  with  use  of  maps  and  charts. 

Too  large  a  place  should  not  be  given  to  these 
subjects  in  teaching  the  lessons,  but  it  is  of  great  value 
to  the  teacher  to  be  well  informed  on  them. 


y6  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

b.  The  classification  of  the  books  of  the  Bible. 
Every  teacher  should  be  familiar  with  the  scope  of 

the    simplest    classification :    historical,    poetical,    pro- 
phetical,  and  epistolary  books. 

c.  Studies  in  particular  books. 

Robert  E.  Speer  has  published  a  small  volume 
called  ''Studies  in  Luke,"  and  another  ''Studies  in 
Acts."  The  mastery  of  such  Bible  studies  would  be 
delightful  work  to  earnest  Sabbath-school  teachers, 
and  greatly  helpful  in  the  work.  Our  Synod  at  its 
meeting  in  1905,  recommended  that  pastors  seek  to 
interest  their  young  people  in  Bible  study,  by  giving 
them  at  convenient  times  in  their  pulpit  ministrations 
during  that  year  instruction  in  the  books  of  Jonah, 
Obadiah,  Galatians,  and  Philippians.  Similar  recom- 
mendations have  been  made  from  time  to  time.  This 
could  be  still  more  efficiently  done  in  Normal  Class 
work. 

The  Normal  Course  of  Bible  study  as  originally 
provided  by  the  Presbyterian  Church  covers  three 
years:  Junior,  Middle  and  Senior.  The  junior  year 
is  an  outline  of  the  Life  of  Jesus  and  embraces  a 
study  of  the  Four  Gospels ;  the  middle  course  con- 
sists of  biographical  outlines  of  the  four  principal 
apostles:  Peter,  Paul,  James,  and  John;  the  senior 
is  occupied  with  Studies  in  the  Old  Testament. 

3.  Instruction  as  to  the  Church  and  Church  His- 
tory. 

Sabbath-school  teachers  ought  to  be  informed  as 
to  the  nature  of  the  Church  and  the  purposes  of  its 
organization — its  Doctrine,  Government,  Worship,  and 
Discipline.  Also  as  to  the  history  of  the  Church,  at 
least  in  its  general  outlines ;  e.  g.,  Under  the  Old 
Testament ;  IJnder  the  New ;  In  the  Apostolic  Age ; 
During  the  Dark  Ages ;  The  Reformation,  and  par- 
ticularly as  to  the  history  of  our  own  denomination. 

4.  Instruction  in  the  Art  of  Teaching. 


THE  TEACHERS'  NORMAL  CLASS        yj 

a.  How  to  prepare  a  lesson. 

The  first  essential  to  teaching  is  knowing.  There 
is  a  great  difference  between  knowing  the  lesson  and 
knowing  about  the  lesson.  It  is  possible  to  spend 
much  time  and  read  many  lesson  helps,  and  yet  come 
to  the  class  wholly  unprepared  to  teach.  The  Nor- 
mal Course  should  teach  teachers  how  to  study. 

b.  How  to  approach  a  class. 

It  is  a  high  art.  How  to  open  the  door  of  the 
heart  to  the  entrance  of  the  word,  and  how  to  adapt 
the  word  for  entrance  through  the  open  door,  can 
only  be  learned  by  the  study  of  the  class  and  of  the 
lesson   in  its   relation   to  the  class. 

c.  How  to  secure  attention. 

Dr.  Trumbull  says:  ''Preparedness  amounts  to 
just  nothing  at  all  unless  the  teacher  has  and  holds 
attention  of  the  scholar.  Without  the  attention  of 
the  scholar,  the  best  teacher  in  the  world  cannot  be  a 
teacher  to  that  scholar." 

Shakespeare  says : 

"The  crow  doth  sing  as  sweetly  as  the  lark, 
When  neither  is  attended." 

And  the  poorest  teacher  can  do  no  worse  than  the 
best  teacher  when  neither  has  attention.  A  visit  to 
some  Sabbath  Schools  would  lead  one  to  think  that 
the  art  of  securing  attention  is  one  of  the  lost  arts. 

d.  How  to  ask  questions. 

Asking  printed  questions  from  a  lesson  leaflet  can 
hardly  be  called  teaching.  To  be  able  to  ask  questions 
in  such  a  way  as  to  convey  to  the  mind  of  the  scholar 
the  truth  which  you  seem  to  be  drawing  from  him  is 
worthy  of  painstaking  endeavor.  A  brief  course  in 
a  well-conducted  Normal  Class  will  furnish  sugges- 
tions in  the  art  of  questioning  which  it  would  require 
years  of  experience  in  teaching  to  discover. 

e.  How  to  use  illustrations. 

Every  intelligent  teacher  knows  the  value  of  illus- 


78  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

tration  in  teaching;  but  how  to  do  it  so  that  the  illus- 
tration will  afford  instruction  and  not  be  a  mere 
diversion  from  the  lesson,  is  a  high  attainment.  The 
Normal  Class  should  give  valuable  assistance  here. 

f.  How  to  enforce  practical  lessons. 

A  vast  amount  of  Sabbath-school  effort  is  lost  be- 
cause truth  is  not  taught  practically.  Dr.  Wilcox  well 
says :  "Many  teachers  make  too  much  of  the  frame- 
work of  the  lesson.  They  spend  the  time  on  points 
of  sacred  history,  geography,  manners  and  customs. 
As  to  the  value  of  such  information,  there  is  a  glamour 
on  the  eyes  of  many  Bible  readers.  Measurably  such 
information  is  needful  to  a  clear  idea  of  Scripture. 
But  the  notion  is  that  one  may  find  something  far 
more  edifying,  spiritually,  in  knowing  the  distance 
between  Jerusalem  and  Jericho  than  in  being  able  to 
tell  the  number  of  miles  from  New  York  to  Boston.'* 

To  spend  time  on  these  things  to  the  neglect  of 
sanctifying  and  saving  truths  is  to  give  stones  for 
bread,  to  feed  the  children  on  the  husks  while  we 
throw  away  the  kernel.  The  Normal  Class  should 
train  the  teacher  rightly  to  divide  the  word  of  truth. 

g.  How  to  conduct  a  review. 

Review  day  is  like  a  night-mare  in  the  day-dreams 
of  many  teachers.  They  have  no  definite  purpose  in 
regard  to  it,  only  to  fill  in  the  time  in  some  way  and 
get  past  it  for  another  three  months.  Now  review 
day  ought  to  be  the  raciest  and  most  profitable  of  all 
the  days  of  the  quarter.  To  make  it  so,  it  must  be 
the  day  for  which  all  the  other  days  are  made.  The 
Normal  Class  should  teach  how  to  make  it  so. 

5.     Instruction  in  the  work  of  winning  souls. 

"He  that  winneth  souls  is  wise" ;  and  to  win  souls, 
one  must  be  wise.  The  Sabbath-school  work  which 
does  not  result  in  souls  brought  to  Christ  is  a  failure. 
Better  to  let  souls  perish  in  ignorince  than  to  bring 
them  into  the  light  of  the  Gospel  and  leave  them  still 


THE  TEACHERS'  NORMAL  CLASS        79 

unsaved.     The  teacher  must  yearn  over  the  members 
of  his  class  with  such  love  as  the  apostle  expresses 
when  he  says :     *'My  little  children  of  whom  I  travail 
in  birth  again  until  Christ  be  formed  in  you." 
The  Normal  Class  should  teach — 

a.  Personal  work  for  the  salvation  of  souls. 

b.  How  to  use  the  Bible  in  personal  work. 

c.  How  to  answer  excuses. 

d.  How  to  persuade  men  to  receive  Christ. 

e.  How    to    persuade    men    to    unite    with    the 
Church. 

Young-  gentlemen,  does  it  not  startle  you  to  think 
of  the  multitude  of  teachers  entrusted  with  the  care  of 
souls,  who  yet  have  not  the  remotest  idea  how  to 
lead  them  to  Christ?  Is  it  not  the  duty  of  pastors  to 
hold  Normal  Classes  for  the  instruction  of  teachers  in 
the  art  of  soul-winning? 


How  should  a  Normal  Class  he  Conducted? 

1.  Select  the  best  materials   for  it. 

After  forming  acquaintance  with  the  members  of 
his  congregation,  the  pastor  will  form  an  opinion  of 
the  qualifications  and  possibilities  of  each  person. 
He  should  seek  to  awaken  in  each  a  profound  sense 
of  the  magnitude  and  importance  of  the  Sabbath- 
school  work  and  what  could  be  done  in  the  way  of 
preparation  for  it.  He  will  soon  gather  about  him  a 
band  ''whose  hearts  God  has  touched,"  and  with 
these  he  is  ready  to  begin.  It  would  not  be  wise  to 
exclude  any  from  its  privileges,  but  care  should  be 
taken  to  see  that  the  best  do  not  exclude  themselves. 

2.  Outline  the  plan  of  study. 

It  is  of  great  importance  that  the  Normal  Class  be 
formed  with  a  specific  aim,  and  that  the  members 


8o  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

when  they  enter  the  class  know  precisely  what  you 
propose  to  do;  and  make  sure  when  the  course  closes, 
that  they  feel  that  the  thing  proposed  has  been  done. 
The  Board  of  Publication  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
in  1905  issued  a  book  outlining  a  Normal  Course.  It 
is  entitled  'The  Westminster  Teacher  Training 
Course,"  and  embraces  the  following: 

1.  Seven  lessons  on  the  books  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment. 

2.  Six  lessons  on  Church  History. 

3.  Nine  lessons  in  Christian  Doctrine. 

4.  Four  lessons   on   Christian   Service   in   Win- 
ning Souls. 

5.  Eight  lessons  on  the  Church. 

6.  Six   lessons   on   the   Church   at  work   in   the 
Sunday  School. 

This  is  intended  as  a  text-book  for  use  in  Normal 
training.     The  outline  shows  its  scope. 

Another  text-book,  prepared  by  Jesse  Lyman  Hurl- 
but,  contains  the  following  course: 

1.  Four  lessons  on  The  Book  and  Its  Books. 

2.  Six  lessons  in  Bible  History. 

3.  Six  lessons  in  Bible  Geography. 

4.  Six  lessons  in  Bible  Institutions. 

5.  Six  lessons  on  The  Sunday  School. 

6.  Six  lessons  on  The  Sunday-school  Teacher. 

7.  Six  lessons  on  The  Sunday-school  Pupil. 

I  do  not  give  unqualified  endorsement  to  either  of 
these  courses.  Let  the  pastor  make  out  his  own 
course,  adapted  to  his  field. 

3.  Fix  a  certain  number  of  lessons  to  be  embraced 
in  the  course. 

Bishop  Vincent  says:  'The  movement  must  not 
involve  too  much  work,  or  too  much  time.  Instead 
of  inaugurating  a  meeting  which  shall  be  continued 
for  all  time,  let  those  who  are  interested  agree  to 
organize  for  ten  or  twelve  special  meetings.     A  lim- 


THE  TEACHERS'  NORMAL  CLASS        8i 

ited  number  of  meetings  will  be  attended  by  persons 
who  could  not  pledge  themselves  to  be  regular  at- 
tendants for  a  long  series  of  services." 

By  this  method  you  can  choose  the  most  favorable 
season  of  the  year. 

4.  A  Normal  Course  may  embrace  a  series  of  lec- 
tures or  papers. 

Such  subjects  as:  The  Scripture  Warrant  for  the 
Sabbath  School;  The  Relation  of  Sabbath  School  to 
the  Church;  The  Sabbath  School  as  a  Missionary 
Agency;  The  Qualifications  of  Teachers,  and  Visit- 
ing the  Sick,  would  be  appropriate.  The  pastor,  or 
teachers,  or  others,  could  prepare  them. 

5.  The  course  should  provide  for  spiritual  culture. 

This  is  the  crowning  preparation  for  the  Sabbath- 
school  teacher  as  it  is  also  of  the  ministry.  Devo- 
tional exercises,  testimonies  of  experience,  seeking  for 
the  presence  and  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit :  a  course 
of  study  on  these  lines  is  greatly  needed  and  would 
tend  to  sanctify  all  other  gifts  and  attainments. 


LECTURE  IX: 

THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  TEACHERS' 
MEETING 

Most  pastors  cannot  find  time  to  conduct  a  series 
of  Normal  classes  every  year.  But  such  pastors  can- 
not find  time  for  Sabbath-school  work  at  all.  The 
pastor  has  an  especial  duty  to  the  young;  his  specific 
duty  to  them  is  through  the  Sabbath  School;  he  can 
best  serve  them  by  training  their  teachers;  and,  in 
addition  to  the  special  Normal  Training  courses  at 
intervals,  he  should  take  time  regularly  for  the  weekly 
Teachers'  Meeting.  Doing  the  two  things  will  make 
it  easier  to  find  the  time. 

If  it  is  true  that  a  church  can  be  best  built  up 
through  the  Sabbath  School,  then  the  young  pastor 
will  do  well  to  plan  certain,  definite,  permanent  work 
here.  The  work  of  the  pastor  in  the  Sabbath  School 
should  be  done  in  such  a  way  as  to  secure  two  things : 

a.  That    it    will    affect    and    influence    the    whole 
school. 

b.  That  on  the  Sabbath  all  his  energies  of  body 
and  mind  will  be  reserved  for  the  pulpit. 

These  two  ends  are  best  secured  by  his  teaching  the 
teachers :  first  in  the  Normal  Class ;  and  second  in  the 
Teachers'  Meeting. 


What  is  the  Idea  of  the  Teachers'  Mee'tingf 

I.     It    is    not   exclusively    for   the  benefit   of   the 

teachers. 
Marion  Lawrence  in  How  to   Conduct  a  Sunday 
School  emphasizes  this  point.     He  says:     "The  true 

83 


THE  TEACHERS'  MEETING  83 

teachers'  meeting  is  no  more  exclusively  for  the 
teachers  than  it  is  for  the  officers ;  nor  is  it  for  either 
of  these  to  the  exclusion  of  several  other  classes.  Its 
intent  is  to  aid  all  those  who  have  anything  to  do 
with  the  management  of  the  school." 

2.  The  Teachers'  Meeting  is  not  for  controversy. 
Dr.    Schauffler    in    his    Ways    of    Working    says: 

"The  teachers'  meeting  should  not  be  a  debating  so- 
ciety. There  is  always  danger  of  this.  In  every 
school  there  are  some  men,  and  women,  too,  who  are 
argumentatively  inclined.  As  soon  as  they  strike  any 
question  that  will  bear  discussion  they  grow  com- 
bative. It  matters  not  what  the  debate  is,  if  the  de- 
baters are  allowed  to  have  their  own  way  they  will 
ruin  the  meeting;  for  the  majority  of  the  teachers 
have  come  to  the  meeting,  not  for  discussion,  but  for 
help  to  handle  their  classes  on  the  following  Sunday. 
If  such  discussions  are  allowed  to  be  carried  on,  this 
class  of  teachers  will  soon  tire  of  the  meeting  and  will 
stay  away." 

To  the  same  effect  Bishop  Vincent  writes :  "Too 
often  mere  controversy  arises  on  obscure  passages, 
trifling  points  and  doctrinal  inferences,  and  this  con- 
troversy is  sustained  by  two  or  three  interested  parties, 
while  the  majority  of  the  teachers  are  annoyed  be- 
yond measure.  At  first  the  teachers  attend  this  meet- 
ing. But  soon  their  interest  wanes.  They  allow 
trifling  obstacles  to  prevent  their  attendance,  and  I 
am  not  surprised  that  the  teachers'  meeting  is  un- 
popular." 

Evidently  these  two  great  Sabbath-school  instruc- 
tors have  the  same  doleful  picture  before  their  minds 
of  the  teachers'  meeting  talked  to  death  by  senseless 
controversialists.  The  pastor  must  let  it  be  under- 
stood that  such  troublers  should  get  up  a  debating  so- 
ciety of  their  own  and  find  their  own  audiences. 

3.  It  is  not  for  social  enjoyment. 


84  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

Doubtless  much  of  the  very  highest  social  enjoy- 
ment will  result  from  it,  but  this  is  purely  incidental. 
Here  again  Dr.  Schauffler  sounds  a  note  of  warning: 
"This  sometimes  happens.  The  young  men  and 
maidens  gather  and  are  full  of  their  fun.  They  begin 
to  pass  jokes  and  smart  sayings,  and  are  filled  with 
the  spirit  of  banter.  This  is  all  well  enough  in  its 
way  and  at  the  proper  time;  but  it  will  kill  any 
teachers'  meeting  in  the  long  run.  The  serious 
teachers  will  weary  of  it,  and  will  show  their  feelings 
by  staying  away.  There  is  a  time  for  everything 
under  the  sun;  and  the  teachers'  meeting  is  not  the 
time   for  polite  sky-larking." 

4.  One  object  of  the  teachers'  meeting  is  to  study 
the  lesson. 

On  this  point  the  doctors  seem  to  differ.  Dr. 
Schauffler  says :  "The  teachers'  meeting  is  one  for 
the  study  of  the  lesson.  In  theory  all  teachers  ought 
to  come  to  the  meeting  with  the  lesson  prepared;  at 
least  in  its  outline  facts.  But  as  a  matter  of  fact 
most  of  the  teachers  do  not  find  time  for  this,  and 
for  that  reason  I  say  the  meeting  must  take  up  the 
lesson  from  the  very  beginning,  and  the  leader  see 
to  it  that  the  teachers  know  the  lesson  facts."  On 
the  other  hand,  Bishop  Vincent  says:  "The  teachers' 
meeting  is  not  an  adult  Bible  Class  for  the  study  of 
the  subject-matter  of  the  next  Sunday's  lesson. 
Many  teachers'  meetings  have  been  utterly  ruined  by 
this  false  conception  of  its  mission." 

My  own  opinion  is  that  Dr.  Vincent  is  right  ideally, 
and  that  Dr.  Schauffler  is  right  practically,  and  that 
you  will  have  to  combine  the  practical  with  the  ideal. 
It  will  be  found  necessary  to  study  the  lesson  as  one 
feature  of  the  meeting. 

5.  Another  object  is  to  digest  the  lesson. 

You  are  familiar  with  the  fact  that  when  the 
preacher  has  the  materials  fully  collected  for  his  ser- 


THE  TEACHERS'  MEETING  85 

mon  there  still  remains  a  very  important  work  in  di- 
gesting these  materials  and  constructing  a  sermon. 
Nor  is  the  minister  prepared  to  preach  the  sermon 
until  he  has  passed  it  through  his  own  personal  ex- 
perience, that  his  own  personality  may  be  stamped 
on  it.  The  Sabbath-school  lesson  must  pass  through 
a  similar  process  in  the  minds  of  the  teachers.  To 
facilitate  and  perfect  this  work  is  one  important  aim 
of  the  teachers'  meeting. 

6.  To  formulate  plans   for  teaching. 

It  is  well  to  keep  in  mind  the  distinction  between 
the  teachers'  meeting  and  the  Normal  Class.  The 
Normal  Class  is  for  the  general  study  of  the  Bible; 
the  teachers'  meeting  is  for  the  study  of  a  particular 
lesson :  the  former  gives  general  instruction  in  the 
Art  of  Teaching;  the  latter  gives  special  instruction 
as  to  the  best  method  of  teaching  the  lesson  for  the 
next  Sabbath.  How  this  will  be  done  will  appear 
later. 

7.  It   is   for   devotional   exercises   connected  with 
the  lesson. 

In  our  great  concern  about  intellectual  preparation, 
we  are  in  danger  of  undervaluing  the  devotional. 
We  cultivate  the  head,  and  too  often  neglect  the 
heart.  The  remarks  of  Dr.  Schauffler  on  this  point 
are  particularly  good : 

'The  work  that  teachers  have  in  hand  has  its  in- 
tensely devotional  side  and  without  much  prayer  will 
not  succeed.  So  opportunity  should  be  given  for 
requests  for  prayer,  and  for  a  statement  of  difficulties 
and  encouragements,  after  which  the  meeting  can 
unite  in  prayer,  or  thanksgiving.  Let  there  never  be 
less  than  two  prayers,  and  often  more.  Let  prayers 
be  short,  strong,  specific,  not  running  over  all  the 
world  and  all  time,  but  for  that  which  just  at  present 
lies  nearest  the  hearts  of  the  teachers.  Teachers 
should  be  strongly  encouraged  to  bring  special  cases 


86  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

and    ask    prayer    in    their   behalf.     If   we   had    such 
prayerful  meetings  we  would  have  more  conversions." 

II 

The   Advantages    of   the    Teachers'    Meeting. 

1.  It  helps  to  secure  the  thorough   study  of  the 
lesson. 

Many  teachers  depend  on  a  few  hurried  glances  at 
lesson  helps  on  the  Sabbath  morning  to  carry  them 
through.  It  is  easy  to  see  that  what  they  bring  to 
their  classes  is  like  the  froth  that  rises  in  the  pail  at  a 
hurried  milking,  rather  than  like  the  cream  which 
rises  when  the  milk  stands  quietly  cooling  in  the  milk- 
pans.  Let  us  not  chide  the  hard-worked  teachers 
about  doing  their  solemn  work  in  this  slip-shod  way, 
until  we  have  provided  a  good  teachers'  meeting  to 
which  they  can  come  and  secure  time  for  mature  re- 
flection on  the  lesson. 

2.  It  gives  inexperienced  teachers  the  help  of  the 
experienced. 

That  a  large  proportion  of  Sabbath  School  teaching 
is  entrusted  to  very  young  and  inexperienced  hands, 
is  a  serious  drawback  in  the  work.  A  well-conducted 
teachers'  meeting  will,  in  a  measure,  correct  this  evil. 

3.  It   assists    teachers   to   arrange   truth   in   com- 
municable form. 

Teaching  involves  the  transfer  of  knowledge  from 
the  mind  of  the  teacher  to  the  mind  of  the  scholar, 
and  particularly  in  stimulating  his  mind  and  quicken- 
ing his  heart  in  religious  things.  A  teachers'  meeting 
which  stops  with  getting  the  truths  of  the  lesson  into 
the  minds  of  the  teachers  is  far  from  the  ideal.  That 
may  be  a  teaching  meeting,  but  it  is  not  a  Teachers' 
meeting. 

4.  It  gives  unity  to  the  Sabbath-school  instruction. 
We  have  a  uniform  system  of  International  Les- 


THE  TEACHERS'  MEETING  87 

sons;  it  does  not  follow  that  we  have  uniform  teach- 
ing. Much  is  gained  if  the  minds  of  all  are  con- 
centrated on  the  same  general  lines  of  doctrine  and 
duty.  Members  from  the  same  family  are  in  different 
classes.  If,  when  they  compare  notes  at  the  close 
of  the  day,  it  is  found  that  widely  divergent  or  perhaps 
even  contradictory  views  have  been  taught,  the  effect 
is  to  weaken  the  impression  and  discredit  the  teachers 
and  the  Bible.  On  the  other  hand,  if  it  be  found 
that  all  have  received  the  same  general  instruction,  the 
impression  will  be  doubled.  To  do  this,  the  teachers 
need  to  study  together  under  the  same  leader. 

5.  It  helps  to  adapt  the  lessons  to  the  locality. 
On  this,  Bishop  Vincent  remarks:     "Let  the  lesson 

be  studied  with  an  eye  to  the  peculiarities  of  the  local- 
ity in  which  it  is  taught.  What  is  there  in  this  lesson 
for  our  community?  Are  there  important  moral  is- 
sues brought  to  the  surface,  such  as  Sabbath  Ob- 
servance, Purity  of  Speech,  Reverence  for  Parents? 
Which  truth  shall  we  make  emphatic?  Thus,  teachers 
may  agree  upon  a  particular  point  of  attack,  and  such 
concentration  will  prove  of  immense  value  to  that 
community." 

6.  It  aids  the  teachers  in  adapting  the  lesson  to 
the  peculiarities  of  each  class. 

While  the  same  doctrines  and  duties  may  be  taught 
to  all,  they  should  be  taught  in  a  very  different  way. 
Adaptability  is  one  essential  to  good  teaching.  The 
comparison  of  plans  in  the  Teachers'  meeting  will  aid 
each  teacher  in  selecting  the  method  best  suited  to  his 
scholars. 

Ill 

How  to  Secure  Attendance. 

I.     Have  a  convenient  and  attractive  place  of  meet- 
ing. 


88  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

Bishop  Vincent  says :  "This  means  a  cheerful,  com- 
fortable room,  fitted  up  in  good  style,  with  tables, 
chairs,  carpets,  maps,  blackboards,  cabinet  of  archae- 
ological curiosities  and  illustrative  apparatus,  library 
of  books — especially  on  the  art  of  teaching — maga- 
zines and  other  periodicals."  We  might  say  of  this, 
as  people  often  say  of  Covenanter  principles,  "that 
will  do  for  the  millennium."  In  the  meantime,  aim  in 
that  direction. 

2.     Select  carefully  the  time  for  meeting. 

a.  Not  on  the  Sabbath.  The  pastor  has  other 
use  for  his  time  and  strength  on  that  day, 
and  so  have  all  others. 

b.  Not  on  prayer-meeting  evening. 

Some  regard  this  as  the  most  favorable  time,  (i) 
It  saves  an  extra  evening.  (2)  It  secures  the  at- 
tendance of  teachers  at  prayer-meeting.  (3)  It  en- 
courages prayer  for  the  Sabbath  School.  (4)  Where 
the  golden  text  is  used  in  the  prayer-meeting,  it  is 
easy  to  combine  the  two.  But  there  are  reasons 
against  it  which  outweigh  all  these  considerations, 
the  chief  of  which  is  that  each  of  these  should  have 
an  evening  to  itself. 

Lawrence  says :  "It  is  desirable  to  give  a  whole 
evening  to  it  and  this  will  be  found  little  enough  when 
its  real  value  is  understood.  A  teachers'  meeting 
tacked  on  before  or  after  another  meeting,  while  a 
great  deal  better  than  none  at  all,  falls  far  short  of 
the  possibilities  of  this  agency.  As  to  the  best  time 
in  the  week,  we  favor  Friday  night,  if  it  does  not  con- 
flict with  the  prayer-meeting.  .  .  .  However,  any 
night  in  the  week,  provided  you  can  have  the  whole 
evening,  is  better  than  any  other  night  on  which  you 
can  have  but  part  of  the  evening.  Some  will  say 
they  cannot  spend  two  nights  in  the  week  giving  one 
^ach  to  the  prayer-meeting  and  the  teachers'  meeting. 


THE  TEACHERS'  MEETING  89 

We  have  often  heard  this  and  used  to  beUeve  it;  but 
our  observation  is  that  in  practice  it  is  not  so.  If 
the  two  meetings  are  properly  conducted,  the  one 
should  create  a  relish  for  the  other." 

3.  Limit  the  time  to  be  spent  in  it. 

Some  good  people  love  to  sing  of  a  happy  land — 

*'Where  congregations  ne'er  break  up 
And  Sabbaths  have  no  end," 

but  the  ideal  Teachers'  meeting  is  not  conducted  on 
that  plan.  There  is  no  surer  way  to  wear  out  a 
teachers'  meeting  than  to  permit  it  to  drag  its  weary 
length  along  interminably.  We  cannot  successfully 
introduce  the  measures  that  belong  to  an  "endless 
life"  into  the  things  of  time.  Lawrence  says :  ''An 
hour  and  a  quarter  is  quite  short  enough:  an  hour 
and  a  half  is  much  better  for  the  whole  meeting." 
This  is  a  liberal  allowance,  in  my  judgment. 

4.  Guard  against  the  waste  of  time. 

Every  teachers'  meeting,  like  every  prayer-meet- 
ing, has  its  time-killer.  It  is  easy  to  fritter  away  a 
precious  hour  speculating  about  something  God  has 
not  revealed.  The  pastor  should  exercise  his  office 
as  a  Ruling  Elder  and  force  the  meeting  to  run  in 
proper  channels. 

5.  Never  postpone  the  meeting  on  account  of  the 
fewness  of  the  numbers  present. 

It  always  tends  to  discourage  and  break  down  the 
meeting,  if  it  is  held  irregularly.  Dr.  Thomas  SprouU 
used  to  say  that  when  you  hear  the  children  ask: 
"Mamma,  are  we  going  to  have  worship  to-night?" 
you  may  be  sure  you  are  in  a  home  where  family 
worship  is  only  occasional.  It  is  a  bad  sign  if,  when 
the  regular  night  for  teachers'  meeting  arrives,  people 
are  heard  inquiring,  "Are  we  going  to  have  teachers' 
meeting  to-night?"     Of  course  we  are. 


90  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

IV 

Hozv  to  Conduct  the  Teachers'  Meeting. 

1.  Usually  the  pastor  should  be  the  teacher. 

The  only  exception  to  this  rule  is  when  he  is  dis- 
abled or  necessarily  absent,  or  when  there  is  some  one 
who  can  do  it  better. 

2.  The   teachers   should   study   the   lesson  before- 
hand. 

What  has  been  said  above  as  to  teaching  the  lesson 
in  the  teachers'  meeting,  is  in  no  way  inconsistent 
with  this  point.  Vincent  tells  of  a  pastor  who  kept  up 
a  successful  teachers'  meeting  for  many  years,  who 
always  expected  any  of  his  teachers  to  recite  the  lesson 
from  memory  immediately  after  the  opening  of  the 
meeting.  The  law  of  the  Kingdom  is,  "To  him  that 
hath  shall  be  given."  The  one  who  brings  nothing 
to  the  meeting  should  not  expect  to  carry  much  away. 

3.  It  is  well  to  secure  a  brief  analysis  of  the  lesson. 
The  central  truths  of  the  lesson  must  be  grasped 

and  arranged  before  they  can  be  efifectively  taught. 
This  requires  a  careful  analysis.  One  may  be  ap- 
pointed beforehand  to  give  this  outline,  or  the  pas- 
tor may  do  it  himself. 

4.  The  practical  lessons  to  be  taught  should  be  de- 
termined upon. 

It  is  not  enough  that  each  teacher  be  asked  to  sug- 
gest a  practical  lesson,  but  these  should  be  considered, 
and  a  few  of  them  selected  and  firmly  fixed  in  the 
minds  of  all,  to  be  enforced  in  the  classes. 

5.  There  should  be  a  comparison  of  views,  where 
the  lesson-helps  differ. 

It  is  an  element  of  weakness  in  the  teacher  if  un- 
certainty exists  as  to  the  meaning  of  the  lesson.  It 
is  hurtful  if  different  teachers  give  different  or  op- 


THE  TEACHERS'  MEETING  91 

posing  interpretations.     A  prayerful  effort  should  be 
made  to  reach  the  mind  of  the  vS])irit. 

6.  Anecdotes  and  illustrations  may  be  called  for. 
These   should    be   studied   with    reference   to   their 

suitableness,  and  the  pastor  should  rule  out  anything 
questionable  or  lial^le  to  be  abused. 

7.  Several  specific  thoughts  may  be  assigned  re- 
spectively to  each  of  a  dozen  teachers  for  pre- 
sentation at  the  meeting.  This  method  is  com- 
mended by  Lawrence  and  he  calls  it  The  Angle 
Method.     He  suggests  the  following: 

Api)roach :  i.  e.,  Last  Lesson  and 
circumstances  leading  up  to  this  les- 
son. 

The  Lesson  Story :  i.  e.,  Told  in  his 
own  words. 

Analysis:  i.  e.,  Outline  for  studying 
and  teaching  the  lesson. 
References:    Parallel  passages  bear- 
ing on  the  lesson. 

l>iography:     Names      of      persons, 
classes  and  nations  mentioned. 
Orientalisms:    Oriental  customs  and 
manners  referred  to  in  lesson. 
Princi])al  Teachings  :     Doctrinal  and 
practical. 

First  Step:  How  to  secure  atten- 
tion. 

I'rimary      Work :      Features      best 
adapted  to  children. 
Objects:  i.  e.,  Such  as  can  be  shown 
in  class  in  object  teaching. 
Illustrations:    Incidents  or  facts  il- 
lustrative of  the  lesson. 

Angle  No.   12.  Practical     Points:      Application     to 
every-day  life. 

In  conclusion  let  me  say  that  the  conscientious  pas- 


Angle  No. 

I. 

Angle  No. 

2. 

Angle  No. 

3- 

Angle  No. 

4- 

Angle  No. 

5- 

Angle  No. 

6. 

Angle  No. 

7- 

Angle  No. 

8. 

Angle  No. 

9- 

Angle  No. 

10 

Angle  No. 

IT 

92  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

tor  will  form  a  high  ideal  as  to  what  the  teachers' 
meeting  ought  to  be,  and  will  sacrifice  much  to  real- 
ize that  ideal.  Determine  that  your  Sabbath  School 
shall  be  equipped  with  genuine  teachers.  Dr.  Trum- 
bull says :  "How  many  legs  does  a  calf  have,  if  you 
count  his  tail  one?  Counting  a  tail  a  leg,  doesn't  make 
it  one.  A  calf  has  only  four  legs,  however  you  may 
count  them.  How  many  teachers  are  in  all  the  Sun- 
day Schools  in  the  United  States?  There  are  two 
ways  of  answering  that  question  and  the  answers 
would  differ  widely.  It  makes  a  vast  difference  to 
a  Sunday  School  whether  it  has  teachers  who  fill  their 
places,  or  only  teachers  who  hold  them." 

Young  gentlemen,  the  conclusion  of  the  whole  mat- 
ter is  this :  Teach  the  teachers,  in  the  Normal  Class, 
that  they  may  know  the  Bible  as  a  whole ;  and  that 
they  may  be  trained  in  the  art  of  teaching:  and 
teach  the  teachers  in  the  teachers'  meeting,  that  they 
may  know  the  particular  lesson  for  the  next  Sabbath 
and  how  to  adapt  it  to  their  particular  classes.  Teach 
the  teachers  and  you  will  teach  the  zvhole  school. 


LECTURE  X 

THE  MANAGEMENT  OF  THE  SABBATH 
SCHOOL 

The  aim  of  the  Sabbath  School  is  threefold,  namely : 
Instruction,  Conversion,  and  Edification.  Whatever 
in  our  Sabbath-school  management  does  not  conduce 
to  one  or  other,  or  all  of  these  results,  should  be  laid 
aside;  and  whatever  changes  are  necessary  to  pro- 
mote these  ends  should  be  made.  This  leads  us  to 
consider  the  organization  and  management  of  the 
school. 


The  Superintendent. 

I.     He  should  be  chosen  by  the  session. 

This  is  a  matter  on  which  views  differ.  Some  say, 
by  the  school ;  but  manifestly  this  is  too  sacred  a  trust 
to  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  children,  many  of  whom 
are  not  even  members  of  the  congregation.  Others 
maintain  that  he  should  be  chosen  by  the  teachers. 
They  are  especially  interested  in  the  work;  are  well 
qualified  to  make  the  selection ;  and  this  method  would 
promote  harmony  between  the  superintendent  and  the 
workers.  It  is,  however,  liable  to  abuses.  If  the 
superintendent  selects  the  teachers  and  they  choose  the 
superintendent,  the  control  of  the  school  is  left  in  the 
hands  of  a  little  circle.  In  my  opinion  the  selection 
of  the  superintendent  belongs  to  the  session,  for  the 
following  reasons : 

93 


94  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

a.  Because  the  session  represents  the  whole  con- 
gregation. 

The  people  choose  the  pastor  and  elders ;  and,  when 
these  elect  the  superintendent,  he  represents  the  whole 
people. 

b.  Because   the    session    is    responsible    for   the 
work  of  the  school. 

They  are  the  spiritual  overseers  of  the  flock.  To 
take  out  of  their  hands  the  choice  of  the  superintendent 
of  the  Sabbath  School,  is  to  hamper  them  in  fulfilling 
their  trust. 

c.  Because  this  tends  to  promote  harmony  be- 
tween the  session  and  the  school. 

This  is  not  less  important  than  to  have  harmony 
between  the  superintendent  and  the  teachers. 

d.  In   order   to   maintain   the   authority   of   the 
session  over  the  school. 

If  the  chief  officer  of  the  school  is  chosen  inde- 
pendently of  the  session,  it  is  difficult  to  see  how  their 
authority  would  remain  unimpaired.  Authority  must 
go  with  responsibility.  For  these,  and  other  reasons, 
I  think  it  is  safe  to  lay  down  the  rule  that,  in  gen- 
eral, the  session  should  elect  the  superintendent.  It 
does  not  follow  that  he  should  be  of  their  own  number. 

2.     The  qualifications  of  a  good  superintendent. 

An  old  gentleman,  speaking  in  one  of  our  Sabbath- 
school  conventions,  said :  ''Mr.  President :  I  think 
that  God  has  not  made  many  good  superintendents." 
The  probabilities  are  that  the  old  man  was  wrong  in 
placing  the  responsibility  for  the  scarcity  on  God. 
Men  have  not  done  their  part  in  cultivating  their  di- 
vine gifts,  and  the  Church  has  not  done  her  part  in 
setting  aside  the  manifestly  disqualified,  and  in  seek- 
ing out  those  whom  God  has  properly  endowed  for 
this  great  office. 

The  superintendent  should  be, — 


SABBATH-SCHOOL  MANAGEMENT       95 

a.  An  eminent  Christian. 

Dr.  Plummer  divides  professors  into  three  classes, 
viz.,  unconverted  professors,  doubtful  Christians,  and 
eminent  Christians.  Men  have  sometimes  questioned 
whether  a  non-professor,  or  even  an  unconverted 
man,  might  not  be  a  teacher  in  the  Bible  Class;  but 
no  one  is  so  blind  as  to  suggest  that  an  unregenerate 
man  might  be  chosen  as  superintendent.  Doubtful 
Christians  go  in  a  zig-zag  course  and  make  the  road 
to  heaven  so  long  that  there  is  danger  that,  in  the 
brevity  .of  life,  they  will  not  get  there.  Such  Chris- 
tians are  not  safe  guides  for  little  children.  All 
superintendents  should  be  chosen  from  the  class  of 
eminent  Christians. 

b.  He   should   be   orthodox. 

It  has  been  said,  "Orthodoxy  is  my  doxy ;  hetero- 
doxy is  your  doxy."  I  have  no  objection  to  that  way 
of  putting  it.  The  dangerous  people  are  those  who 
pride  themselves  in  having  no  doxy  at  all,  or  rather 
who  esteem  all  doxies  as  equally  good. 

(i)     He  should  be  evangelically  orthodox. 

There  is  a  standard  of  evangelical  orthodoxy,  rec- 
ognized by  all  evangelical  Christians.  Unitarians 
protested  because  they  found  themselves  excluded 
from  the  Conference  of  Christian  Churches  held  in 
New  York  in  1905.  No  one  who  calls  in  question 
the  inspiration  of  the  Scriptures  and  their  consequent 
inerrancy  and  infallibility,  or  who  denies  the  true 
Divinity  of  our  Lord,  should  preside  over  a  Christian 
Sabbath  School. 

(2)     He  should  be  denominationally  orthodox. 

I  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  any  Church  that  has 
a  right  to  exist  as  a  separate  denomination  is  bound  to 
select  its  superintendents  from  men  who  hold  with 
unwavering  fidelity  to  the  faith  and  practices  of  the 
Church. 


96  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

c.  He  should  be  a  man  of  practical  plans  and 
executive  ability. 

It  does  not  require  great  practical  talent  to  fill  the 
office  as  it  is  frequently  done,  i.  e.,  by  opening  and 
closing  the  school  by  singing,  reading,  and  prayer. 
But  to  conduct  these  devotions  so  as  to  be  real  wor- 
ship ;  to  select  and  direct  the  teachers ;  to  govern 
the  school,  grade  the  classes,  and  visit  in  the  homes 
of  the  scholars  requires  a  many-sided  man. 

d.  He   should  be   sympathetic. 

In  no  department  of  Church  v^ork  is  it  more  im- 
portant to  have  a  sympathetic  heart.  He  must  be 
like  the  Good  Shepherd  of  v^hom  it  is  said:  ''He 
shall  gather  the  lambs  in  His  arms;  and  carry  them 
in  His  bosom." 

3.     The  duties  of  the  superintendent. 

a.  To    conduct    the    general    exercises    of    the 
school. 

b.  To  receive  and  classify  the  scholars. 

In  too  many  schools  the  scholars  are  left  to  classify 
themselves.     This  is  an  end  to  all  order. 

c.  To  aid  in  the  selection  of  teachers. 

The  question  of  how  teachers  should  be  chosen  is 
an  open  one.  Certainly  the  superintendent  should 
have  a  voice  and  much  weight  in  the  choice.  That 
the  teacher  retiring  from  the  charge  of  a  class  should 
bring  in  another  to  take  his  place  without  consultation 
with  the  superintendent,  is  not  allowable.  The  class 
belongs  to  the  school,  not  to  the  teacher;  and  the 
school  is  under  the  care  of  the  superintendent. 

d.  He  may  review  the  lesson  each  Sabbath. 
The  time  occupied  in  this  should  be  very  brief,  but 

it  is  the  right  and  duty  of  the  superintendent,  if  he 
is  capable  of  it,  to  sum  up  the  work  of  the  hour. 

e.  To  arrange  for  the  quarterly  review. 

f.  To  visit  the  scholars  in  their  homes. 

All  that  was  said  as  to  the  duty  of  the  pastor  in 


SABBATH-SCHOOL  MANAGEMENT      97 

this   regard  may  Avith   equal  propriety  be  applied  to 
the   superintendent. 

II 

The   Teachers. 

1.  Who    should   choose   the    teachers? 

a.  The  superintendent  should  have  much  to  do 
with    this. 

It  is  not  just  to  hold  the  superintendent  responsible 
for  the  success  of  the  school,  and  yet  ignore  his 
authority  in  the  appointment  of  the  teachers.  His 
constant  contact  with  the  school  affords  opportunity 
for  him  to  decide  as  to  the  work  being  done  in  the 
classes. 

b.  The  session  should  be  consulted. 

The  session  should  have  a  permanent  committee 
on  the  Sabbath  School,  part  of  whose  office  should 
be  to  consult  with  the  superintendent  in  securing  suit- 
able teachers. 

c.  The  pastor  should  have  a  veto  power  in  all 
the  appointments. 

As  the  pastor  of  the  congregation,  and  the  superior 
officer  of  the  Sabbath  School,  he  should  have  the 
final  voice  as  to  who  may  be  set  to  impart  instruction 
to  the  members  of  his  flock,  for  all  of  whom  he 
must  give  account  to  God.  One  of  the  great  defects 
in  the  modern  Sabbath  School  is  the  irresponsible  way 
in  which  teachers  are  chosen. 

2.  What   are  the  qualifications  of  teachers? 

a.  They  should  have  a  good  mental  endowment. 
Scholars  must  have  respect  for  the  mental  qualities 
of  their  teachers  or  they  will  not  be  profited  by  their 
instruction ;  and  it  is  well  to  bear  in  mind  in  selecting 
teachers  that  the  children  of  this  day  are  not  slow 
to   detect   a   deficiency.     The   Sabbath-school   teacher 


98  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

is  weighed  in  the  balance  with  the  day-school  teacher 
and  should  not  suffer  by  the  comparison. 

b.  They  should  have  good  social  qualities. 
Too   little   attention   is   usually   paid  to   the   social 

element  in  the  Sabbath-school  class.  This  is  one 
reason  why  children  usually  prefer  young  people  for 
their  instructors.  These  have  a  social  sympathy  with 
them  which  the  staid  old  elder,  who  knows  so  much 
more,  may  lack.  The  teacher  that  can  enter  into  the 
social  nature  of  the  children  has  a  divine  gift.  This 
helps  to  the  awakening  of  a  class  spirit  that  may 
become  wonderfully  influential.  The  interchange  of 
visits  as  between  teacher  and  pupil,  kindly  attention 
in  sickness,  deep  interest  in  all  that  concerns  the 
welfare  of  the  scholars,  even  extending  to  their  school 
studies,  their  occupations,  their  life  plans :  all  are  con- 
nected with  good  teaching. 

c.  They   should  be  of  exemplary  life. 

True  spiritual  power  in  teaching  cannot  be  found 
apart  from  consistent,  upright  living;  and,  it  is  quite 
possible  among  Christian  young  people  to  find  many 
of  high  purpose  and  high  ideals  of  life.  Habits  of 
reading  aft'ord  a  good  test;  it  will  usually  be  found 
that  young  men  and  young  women  who  enjoy  the 
Bible  and  have  a  desire  to  find  out  what  books  may 
be  classed  as  good  literature,  and  to  read  these, — 
such  young  men  and  young  women  are  likely  to  be 
of  right  habits  of  life.  Theater-goers,  dancers,  and 
card-players  are  not  good  teachers,  and  will  not  often 
be  found  seeking  places  in  the  school.  The  personal 
habits  of  the  teacher  are  of  the  utmost  importance. 
of  course;  and  any  teacher  will  make  sacrifices  rather 
than  mislead  those  following  in  his  steps.  The  to- 
bacco user  who  will  not  give  up  that  habit  for  the 
sake  of  the  children  committed  to  him  is  not  suffi- 
ciently impressed  with  his  responsibility.  In  the 
long  run,  as  pastors,  you  will  find  the  noblest  of  lives 


SABBATH-SCHOOL  MANAGEMENT       99 

ready  to  be  guided  wisely  into  proper  methods  of 
teaching.  It  is  one  of  the  beautiful  things  in  a  pas- 
tor's life. 

HI 

The  Exercises  of  the  School. 

I.     The  devotional  exercises. 

a.  All  should  be  required  to  be  present. 
There    are    many,    both    in    Sabbath    School    and 

Church,  who  regard  the  devotional  exercises  as  mere 
preliminaries,  and,  if  they  are  in  time  for  the  teach- 
ing of  the  lesson,  they  are  satisfied.  This  false  view 
must  be  corrected.  If  prizes  are  given  for  prompt 
attendance,  they  should  be  conditioned  absolutely  on 
being  present  for  the  devotional  exercises. 

The  difficulty  about  attendance  on  the  closing  exer- 
cises arises  where  advanced  Bible  classes  are  taught 
in  separate  rooms.  They  often  find  the  time  too 
short,  and,  becom.ing  interested,  are  unwilling  to  re- 
spond to  the  closing  bell.  In  ordinary  cases  attend- 
ance should  be  made  imperative.  Where  there  is 
a  large  Infant  Department  they  may  have  their  own 
closing  exercises. 

b.  They  must  be  conducted  wnth  reverence. 
Never  begin   until   perfect   quiet  is   secured.     Per- 
mit nothing  to  be  carried  on  that  will  divert  the  mind 
from  the  exercises  of  worship.     Secure  reverence  in 
outward  form,  as  essential  to  heart  reverence. 

c.  Use  familiar  Psalms  and  tunes. 

A  mistake  is  sometimes  made  in  seeking  to  adapt 
the  Psalms  to  the  lesson,  rather  than  choosing  that 
which  the  children  can  sing.  In  most  schools  it  is 
better  to  use  the  same  tune  always  to  the  same 
Psalm.  Children  love  to  sing  and  should  be  en- 
couraged    to     memorize     Psalms.     Insist     that     the 


100  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

teachers  join  in  the  singing.  Do  not  permit  young 
men,  and  maidens  in  their  teens,  to  form  the  idea 
that  they  are  too  big  to  sing,  or  that  it  is  more  poHte 
to  sit  with  closed  lips. 

d.     The    prayers     should    be    appropriate     and 
brief. 

Dr.  Amos  R.  Wells  says :  'Tn  no  way  can  more 
Christianity  be  taught  in  less  time  than  by  a  good 
prayer.  And  yet,"  he  adds,  'T  know  of  no  point  in 
Sunday-school  management  regarding  which  super- 
intendents are  more  careless.  The  children  must 
listen  to  Magellan  prayers,  that  circumnavigate  the 
globe;  to  mechanical  prayers,  cast  in  stereotyped 
forms;  to  officious  prayers,  that  volunteer  to  teach 
the  coming  lesson;  to  peacock  prayers,  that  flaunt  big 
words  and  fine  phrases ;  to  wrinkled  prayers,  dealing 
with  experiences  into  which  the  children  will  not 
grow  for  three  decades. 

'Tn  some  schools  the  superintendent  always  makes 
the  prayer  himself,  in  the  same  terms,  and  tones,  and 
order,  and  for  the  same  things.  Elsewhere,  he  in- 
vites others  to  perform  this  service,  but,  with  pitiless 
impartiality,  calls  upon  all  that  will,  whether  they 
are   capable   or   totally   unfit." 

Having  thus  pointedly  described  the  evil.  Dr.  Wells 
lays  down  the  following  points : 

"(i)     No   one   should   be   invited   to   pray   merely 
for  policy's  sake. 

"(2)     Give  notice  beforehand  to  the  one  expected 
to  pray. 

"(3)     Insist  on  all  assuming  a  reverent  attitude. 

"(4)      Sometimes    have    silent    prayer,    the    super- 
intendent closing. 

"(5)     Occasionally   hold   a   prayer-meeting   at   the 
close  of  the  lesson  hour." 

In  regard  to  the  last  he  suggests :  "This  will  do 
much  to  inspire  a  deeper  spirit  of  worship;  that  is, 


SABBATH-SCHOOL  MANAGEMENT       loi 

if    the    scholars    themselves    take    part.     And   these 
Sunday-school    prayer-meetings    are    magnificent   op- 
portunities for  drawing  the  net.     Do  not  hold  them 
so  frequently  as  to  be  burdensome.     Keep  them  brief 
and  earnest.     Let  the  teachers  work  for  them  in  their 
classes    and    use    them    as    tests    for    their   teaching. 
Above   all,   expect   conversions   in  them,   and,   if  you 
are  faithful  and  faith-filled,  you  will  get  them." 
e.     See  that  all  have  Bibles  and  use  them. 
The    dearth    of    Bibles    in    many    of    our    Sabbath 
Schools  is  a  disgrace.     One  of  the  striking  features 
of   John   Wanamaker's   great   school   is   the   Bible   in 
the  hands   of   every   scholar,   and  an   incident  at  the 
opening  of  each  session  of  the  school  is  the  call  for 
the   show   of   Bibles. 

2.  The  study  in  the  classes. 

a.  Secure  to  each  class  the  utmost  privacy  pos- 
sible. 

Even  a  curtain,  slipping  on  wires  and  enclosing  the 
class,  is  of  value.  Churches  should  be  planned  to 
provide   separate   rooms   for  classes. 

b.  Secure  the  classes  against  interruption. 

A  method  should  be  devised  that  will  enable  the 
secretary,  the  treasurer,  and  the  librarian  to  do  their 
work  without  interrupting  the  teacher.  It  is  a  great 
hardship  to  have  some  general  officer  pounce  down 
upon  the  class  just  when  the  teacher  by  patient,  ear- 
nest effort  has  secured  attention.  Each  class  should 
have  its  monitor. 

3.  What  should  be  taught  in  the  Sabbath  Schools? 

a.  Direct,  systematic  Bible  study. 

Whether  the  International  lessons,  or  some  other 
scheme,  is  an  open  question. 

b.  Memorizing     the     Catechisms,     Psalms     and 
Scripture. 

It  is  a  weakness  in  our  training  of  the  youth  that 
there  is  so  little  memorizing  in  these  days. 


102  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

c.  There  should  be  a  class  for  inquirers. 
When  it  is  known  that  the  direct  and  persistent  aim 
of  the  school  is  conversion,  and  that  converts  are  to 
be  united  with  the  Church,  it  should  also  be  under- 
stood that  special  attention  will  be  given  to  the  awak- 
ened and  inquiring.  They  should  have  the  instruction 
of  a  very  sincere,  intelligent  and  experienced  teacher. 

4.  The  collection. 

a.  There  should  be  a  Sabbath-school  collection. 
This   is   a  part   of   Christian   culture,   a   means   of 

grace  and  a  fountain  of  joy.  Remember  the  words 
of  Christ  when  He  said :  'It  is  more  blessed  to  give 
than  to  receive." 

b.  It  should  be  for  a  special  object,  clearly  un- 
derstood. 

The  children  should  know  the  object  to  which  their 
gifts  are  devoted ;  and  that  in  giving  for  that  purpose, 
they  are  giving  to  the  Lord. 

c.  The  object   should  be   something  outside   of 
the  school. 

The  congregation  should  support  the  school.  Then 
the  money  of  the  school  may  be  devoted  to  congrega- 
tional objects  if  that  is  more  needful  than  the  public 
work  of  the  Church.  If  the  children  understand  that 
they  are  giving  money  to  buy  books  and  candy  for 
themselves  it  will  be  difficult  to  impress  them  that 
they  are  thereby  giving  to  Christ. 

d.  The  giving  should  be  done  as  a  service  to 
God. 

Some  schools  always  speak  of  it  as  presenting  the 
offering  to  the  Lord;  and  some  formally  dedicate  it 
to  God  by  prayer.  This  should  not  be  carried  to  an 
extreme. 

5.  Review  of  the  school,  weekly — 

a.  Should  be  by  superintendent,  or  pastor; 

b.  Should  be  brief  and  pointed ; 

c.  Should  be  practical  and  impressive. 


SABBATH-SCHOOL  MANAGEMENT       103 

IV 

Should  the  Sabbath  School  have  a  Lihraryf 

1.  The  objections  to  having  a  library. 

a.  The  books  are  often  injurious:  i.e.,  wrong 
in  morals;  unsound  in  doctrine;  unfit  for 
Sabbath  reading ;  and  mentally  dissipating. 

b.  The  best  books  are  seldom  read. 

c.  The  attention  of  the  school  is  diverted  by  the 
distribution. 

d.  Dissatisfaction  is  bred  among  the  scholars. 

e.  The  money  is  better  spent  for  papers  and 
prizes. 

2.  The  advantages  of  a  library. 

a.  Provides  reading  matter  for  those  who  have 

b.  Enables  teachers  to  superintend  the  scholars' 
reading. 

c.  Aids  in  securing  attendance. 

It  is  evident  from  the  discussions,  that  in  many 
cases  the  library  has  not  been  a  blessing ;  it  is  equally 
evident  that  the  evils  are  not  inherent  and  necessary, 
but  may  be  avoided  and  the  library  be  made  an  effi- 
cient arm  of  the  school ;  and,  finally,  that  it  is  a  mere 
incident  in  Sabbath-school  management,  and  has  in 
many  cases  been  greatlv  over-estimated.  Where  it  is 
introduced,  the  greatest  care  should  be  exercised  in 
the  selection  of  the  books. 

V 

Evils  to  be  Guarded  Against  or  Corrected. 

Before  closing  this  lecture  I  wish  to  refer  to  sev- 
eral evils  that  have  seriously  damaged  the  good  that 
would  otherwise  have  resulted  from  Sabbath-school 
work. 


104  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

1.  The  incompetence  of  teachers. 

It  is  universally  admitted  that  this  is  a  prevalent 
and  very  serious  evil.  I  do  not  emphasize  it  to  find 
fault  with  the  teachers,  but  to  urge  pastors  to  train 
their  teachers.  The  world  is  full  of  a  wonderful 
latent  power  in  the  devotion  of  earnest  Sabbath- 
school  teachers.     Train  them. 

2.  Irregularity  of  attendance. 

This  is  another  crying  evil.  The  great  discrepancy 
between  the  enrollment  and  the  average  attendance 
tells  the  story.  The  best  corrective  that  I  know,  after 
the  personal  influence  of  the  superintendent  and  the 
teacher,  is  the  prize  system.  I  do  not  share  the 
scruples  of  some  about  giving  rewards  to  children  for 
faithfulness  in  doing  their  duty. 

3.  Tardiness  in  coming. 

I  should  seek  to  correct  this  by  confining  the  prizes 
to  those  who  are  present  at  the  opening.  It  is  not 
well  to  allow  absence  from  the  devotional  exercises 
r^nd  reward  attendance  on  the  class  studies. 

4.  Disorder  in  the  room. 

The  only  hope  is  in  getting  good  order  established 
as  the  fixed  habit  of  the  school.  One  bad  boy  can 
keep  a  whole  class  in  a  rumpus;  and  one  disorderly 
class  can  make  trouble  for  the  whole  school.  The 
pastor's  visits  to  the  school  will  tend  to  promote  good 
order.  What  to  do  with  the  noisy,  unruly  scholars 
is  a  great  problem.  One  thing  is  settled,  viz.,  that 
they  should  not  be  permitted  to  remain  in  the  school 
as  disorderly  scholars.  Another  is  that  they  should 
remain.  It  is  useless  to  scold  the  school  in  general; 
find  the  boy  that  starts  the  disorder,  then  devise  a 
way  for  making  him  over. 


SABBATH-SCHOOL  MANAGEMENT       105 

5.  Children  regarding  the  Sabbath  School  as  a 
substitute  for  the  Church  service  is  an  evil 
that  should  never  be  condoned;  much  less 
parents  regarding  the  Sabbath  School  as  a  sub- 
stitute for  home  instruction.  The  Sabbath 
School  is  not  to  supplant  either  the  Church  or 
the  home. 


LECTURE  XI 
THE  GRADED  SYSTEM 

Much  of  our  Sabbath-school  work  is  superficial. 
This  department  of  Church  activity  is  constantly  de- 
manding and  receiving  attention ;  and  yet  it  is 
generally  conceded  that  the  results  are  somewhat  dis- 
appointing. An  argument  was  made  against  the  use 
of  tobacco,  that  statistics  would  show  that  a  large 
proportion  of  the  prisoners  in  the  penitentiaries  had 
been  tobacco  users.  The  reply  was  made,  that  sta- 
tistics would  also  show  that  a  large  percentage  of  the 
prisoners  in  the  penitentiary  had  been  Sunday-school 
scholars. 

Nor  is  the  failure  merely  that  the  children,  after 
spending  five  or  ten  years  in  the  Sabbath  School  go 
out  without  being  converted;  but  they  frequently  go 
out  without  being  instructed.  They  do  not  know  the 
Holy  Scriptures  which  are  able  to  make  them  wise 
unto  salvation.  Improvements  in  the  methods  of 
work  are  now  being  earnestly  sought.  Prominent 
among  schemes  for  improvement  is  the  graded  system. 

As  far  back  as  1895  ^^'^^  Synod  recommended  Sab- 
bath-school officers  and  teachers  to  make  a  special 
study  of  the  graded  system  with  a  view  to  introducing 
it  into  our  Sabbath  Schools.  (Min.  of  Synod,  1895, 
P-  I95-) 

I 
What  is  Included  in  a  Graded  System? 

I.     Graded  departments. 

Lawrence,  in  How  to  Conduct  a  Sunday  School, 
106 


THE  GRADED  SYSTEM  107 

recommends  the  division  of  the  school  into  seven  de- 
partments. This  includes  a  Home  Department  and  a 
Teachers'  Training-  Department. 

The  Committee  on  Education  of  the  International 
Sunday  School  Association  recommends  five  depart- 
ments to  be  named  as  follows : 

a.  The   Primary  Department. 

b.  The  Junior  Department. 

c.  The  Intermediate  Department. 

d.  The  Senior  Department. 

e.  The  Adult  Department. 

It  is  probable  that  in  many  of  our  Sabbath  Schools 
three  departments  will  be  found  sufficient;  yet,  if  we 
are  to  have  a  uniform  course  of  study,  the  department 
grades  should  be  uniform. 

2.  A  graded  classification  of  scholars  in  the  several 
departments. 

The  basis  of  this  classification  may  be 

a.  According   to   age. 

b.  According  to  attainments. 

Dr.  Schauffler  describes  the  grading  in  his  school 
as  follows :  "Two  primary  classes :  In  the  one,  go  all 
who  cannot  read.  In  the  other,  those  who  can  read 
easy  words  when  printed  on  the  blackboard.  As  soon 
as  they  can  read  with  facility  they  are  transferred  into 
the  intermediate  school,  where  they  are  put  in  such 
classes  as  their  ages  fit  them  for.  In  the  intermediate 
department  all  classes  are  graded  according  to  age,  the 
ages  stretching  over  three  years ;  e.  g.,  eleven  to  four- 
teen, twelve  to  fifteen,  thirteen  to  sixteen.  In  the 
higher  department  there  are  two  grades:  (a)  Juniors, 
from  sixteen  to  eighteen;  (b)  Seniors,  from  eighteen 
years  upwards."  According  to  this  method  the  pri- 
mary department  is  classified  according  to  attain- 
ments; the  other  departments  according  to  age  and 
attainments. 

The  grading  of  the  school   into   departments  and 


io8  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

the  classification  of  the  scholars  should  be  carefully 
made  and  maintained.  On  this  point  Lawrence  says: 
*Tt  is  one  thing  to  grade  a  Sunday  School,  and  Cjuite 
another  to  keep  it  graded.  It  will  be  readily  ob- 
served that  if  teachers  enroll  in  their  classes  any  one 
who  may  happen  to  apply  for  membership,  and  if 
scholars  are  permitted  to  bring  their  friends  pro- 
miscuously into  their  own  classes,  the  system  of  grad- 
ing will  soon  be  broken  down."  There  must  be  a 
superintendent  for  the  whole  school,  who  alone  shall 
have  authority  to  classify  the  scholars. 

3.  The  teachers  should  be  graded. 

This  requires  two  things — a.  The  teachers  should 
be  assigned  to  the  department  for  which  they  are 
especially  qualified,  b.  Usually,  they  should  not  pass 
with  their  scholars  from  one  department  to  another. 
The  same  principles  should  prevail  here  as  in  the  pub- 
lic schools.  Successful  teachers  in  one  department 
are  not  transferred  to  another.  The  scholars  pass  on, 
the  teacher  remains,  and,  by  long  experience,  becomes 
a  specialist  in  his  own  department.  A  teacher  may 
be  allowed  to  carry  his  scholars  through  the  successive 
courses  in  one  department,  but  should  not  pass  from 
one  department  to  another. 

4.  A  graded  system  of  instruction. 

In  the  International  Sunday-school  lesson  the  basis 
of  instruction  is  the  same  for  all  classes.  The  effort 
is  made  in  the  preparation  of  Lesson  Helps  to  adapt 
the  treatment  of  the  lesson  to  children  and  to  adults. 
Very  few  Helps  attempt  anything  beyond  two  grades. 
When  it  is  undertaken  to  establish  a  graded  school, 
it  is  necessary  to  adopt  either  an  entirely  different 
system  or  a  supplemental  system  to  be  used  in  con- 
nection with  the  International  lessons.  The  West- 
minster System  of  Graded  Supplemental  Lessons  by 
James  A.  Worden,  D.D.,  is  published  by  the  Presby- 


THE  GRADED  SYSTEM  109 

terian    Board    of     Publication    and     Sabbath-School 
Work,  1334  Chestnut  St.,  Philadelphia. 

1.  The  Westminster  Supplemental  System  has  five 
grades  or  departments — 

a.  The   Primary   Department. 

b.  The  Junior-intermediate  Department. 

c.  The  Senior-intermediate  Department. 

d.  The   Normal  Department. 

e.  The  Adult  Department. 

2.  These    five    grades    are    divided    into    twelve 
courses. 

a.  The  Primary  Department  has  one  course. 

b.  The  Junior-intermediate  has   four  courses. 

c.  The  Senior-intermediate  has  three  courses. 

d.  The  Normal  has  three  courses. 

e.  The  Adult  has  one  continuous  course. 

A  school  graded  according  to  the  Westminster  Sup- 
plemental System  would  have  five  departments  and 
twelve  stages  of  progress.  A  leaflet  giving  a  full 
description  of  the  different  courses  of  study  by  years 
can  be  secured  at  the  Presbyterian  Book  Rooms, 
Pittsburgh. 

3.  The  Bible  Study  Union  (or  Blakeslee)  System 
has   four  courses — 

a.  The  Junior  Course  for  the  youngest  classes. 

b.  The   Intermediate   Course   for   the  boys   and 
girls. 

c.  The  Progressive  Course  for  the  young  people 
and   adults. 

d.  The  Bible  Class  Course  for  the  adults. 

4.  These  four  courses  are  divided  into  ten  grades. 

a.  The  Junior  Course  has  three  grades. 

b.  The  Intermediate  Course  has  three  grades. 

c.  The  Progressive  Course  has  three  grades. 

d.  The  Bible  Class  has  one  continuous  course. 
The  danger  in  such  courses  is  that  they  may  get 

away   from    the   Bible.,     Full    instruction    as   to   the 


no  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

Blakeslee  System  can  be  obtained  by  addressing  The 
Bible  Study  Publishing  Co.,  250  Devonshire  St.,  Bos- 
ton, Mass. 

5.     Stated  examinations  and  promotions. 

a.  This  is  an  essential  part  of  the  system. 

It  may  be  necessary  to  reach  this  result  gradually, 
but  the  graded  system  is  not  complete  without  it. 
Dr.  James  A.  Worden,  who  was  for  many  years  Gen- 
eral Superintendent  of  Sabbath  Schools  in  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  asks:  "Shall  there  be  examinations?" 
and  answers: — "This  question  must  be  left  for  each 
school  to  determine  for  itself.  Some  schools  will  pro- 
mote the  scholars  after  requiring  them  to  pass  an 
examination ;  others  will  promote  them  simply  on  the 
recommendation  of  the  teachers."  The  difficulty  with 
the  latter  method  is  the  tendency  to  lower  the  standard. 

b.  Promotion  should  be  made  at  stated  times. 
Lawrence,  on  this  point,  recommends  a  regular  pro- 
motion day  at  least  once  a  year,  and  that  the  promo- 
tion should  involve  a  change  of  seats  if  possible,  and 
that  these  promotions  be  made  a  prominent  feature  of 
the  school,  the  services  being  conducted  by  the  pastor 
and  superintendent.  Some  schools  give  certificates  of 
promotion  which  are  attractive  and  inexpensive;  and 
in  some  schools  every  child  on  leaving  the  primary 
department  is  presented  with  a  Bible. 

c.  Promotions  should  usually  be  on  the  basis  of 
attainments  made. 

The  Sabbath  School  is  an  educational  institution 
and  should  approach  more  and  more  to  the  most  ap- 
proved educational  methods ;  and  this  means  regular 
examinations  at  stated  periods  and  promotions  based 
on  work  successfully  done.  But  the  standard  should 
not  be  placed  too  high.  Dr.  Worden  says:  "We 
w^ould  call  attention  to  the  wisdom  of  making  excep- 
tions of  all  scholars  whose  attendance  has  been  faith- 
ful, whose  conduct  has  been  good,  who  have  made 


THE  GRADED  SYSTEM  iii 

honest  efforts,  and  yet  have  failed  to  learn  the  supple- 
mental lessons;  and  of  passing  such  scholars  and  pro- 
moting them  on  recommendation  of  their  teachers." 
Lawrence  says :  "Supplemental  work  should  be  car- 
ried on  as  a  feature  of  the  grading  of  the  school, 
but  should  not  be  made  a  rigid  and  absolute  condition 
of  promotion.  Those  who  satisfactorily  complete  the 
supplemental  work  may  be  promoted  with  honor,  i.  e., 
supplemental  work  should  be  made  a  condition  of 
earning  the  honors  of  the  school,  rather  than  a  con- 
dition of  promotion." 

One  of  our  own  ministers  writes :  ''We  put  upon 
rolls  of  honor  those  scholars  that  pass,  and  condition 
those  who  do  not ;  and  if  they  fail  at  the  end  of  one 
year  to  fulfill  the  condition  of  the  previous  year  we 
take  them  out  of  the  class  and  put  them  into  what 
we  call  the  'drone'  class.  No  one  has  as  yet  reached 
that  class.  Many  have  turned  in  the  other  direction 
as  they  neared  it." 

I  would  emphasize  the  fact  that  there  must  be  sym- 
pathetic consideration  for  unfortunate  children  who 
have  no  encouragement  or  assistance  at  home.  Some 
of  these  little  ones  have  hard  lives  in  the  day-schools. 
The  Sabbath  School  should  help  them  to  bear  their 
trials  and  not  increase  them. 


II 

The  Advantages  of  the  Graded  System. 

1.  It  promotes  uniformity  in  the  classes. 

It  is  impossible  for  a  teacher  to  work  effectively 
when  classes  are  made  up  haphazard,  or  by  elective 
affinity  without  reference  to  attainments. 

2.  It  stimulates  effort  in  order  to  secure  promo- 
tion. 


112  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

Every  one  understands  the  operation  of  this  prin- 
ciple in  school  and  college  life. 

3.  It  aids  in  storing  the  mind  with  truth. 

The  very  idea  of  the  graded  system  is  to  make  a 
thorough,  systematic  and  prolonged  study  in  the  Bible. 
Extended  portions  of  Scripture  are  memorized ;  texts 
setting  forth  certain  doctrines  are  grouped  together 
and  committed;  Psalms  are  learned  by  heart;  the 
Catechisms  are  mastered;  the  attainments  made  are 
tested  by  examinations,  and  riveted  in  the  memory 
by  frequent  reviews.  When  such  a  system  is  in  effi- 
cient hands  the  result  must  be  a  great  advance. 

4.  It  increases  respect  for  the  Sabbath  School. 
Dr.  Schauffler  says:     "The  scholars  themselves  will 

be  pleased  to  see  the  methods  to  which  they  have  be- 
come accustomed  in  their  daily  life  adopted  in  their 
Sunday  instruction.  The  child  of  to-day,  in  America 
at  least,  respects  the  institution  that  compels  him  to 
work,  and  gives  him  the  consciousness  of  actual  acqui- 
sition. Children  have  been  run  after  and  coaxed  and 
bribed  to  come  to  the  Sabbath  School,  and  then  cod- 
dled and  palavered  and  permitted  to  'go  as  you  please,' 
until  the  whole  affair  has  come  to  be  the  synonym  for 
that  which  is  weak  and  effeminate  and  unpractical. 
Men  show  their  contempt  for  a  book  by  calling  it 
'Sunday-school  literature,'  and  for  a  political  theory  or 
method  by  calling  it  'Sunday-school  politics.'  " 

The  aim  of  the  graded  system  is  to  make  the  Sab- 
bath School  a  real  school  that  will  demand  work  of 
its  members  and  give  them  something  real  and  sub- 
stantial in  return  and  thus  lift  this  department  of 
Church  work  into  a  position  of  dignity  and  power 
worthy  of  a  divine  institution. 

I  bespeak  your  especial  attention  to  certain  objec- 
tions to  the  graded  system,  and  to  the  caution  neces- 
sary in  choosing  an  orthodox  system. 


THE  GRADED  SYSTEM  113 

III 
Objections  to  the  Graded  System. 

1.  That  the  time  used  in  teaching  the  graded  stu- 
dies is  needed  for  teaching  the  International 
lesson. 

Of  course  this  applies  only  to  schools  using  the 
supplemental  system.  In  the  Blakeslee  system  the 
whole  time  is  given  to  the  graded  studies. 

In  reply  to  this  objection  a  pastor  of  considerable 
experience  writes:  "Invariably  this  objection  comes 
from  teachers  who  give  every  evidence  in  their  teach- 
ing that  they  would  not  get  over  the  lesson  if  they 
had  all  day  for  it.  Lack  of  system  is  their  trouble, 
rather  than  lack  of  time." 

2.  The  scholars  object  because  it  necessitates 
study. 

This  is  the  one  thing  in  its  favor :  It  does  require 
study.  Teachers  who  thoroughly  believe  in  the  sys- 
tem will  overcome  this  objection.  The  pastor  above 
quoted  says  further:  "We  have  lost  no  scholars  as 
yet  because  of  its  introduction,  and  even  if  we  were 
to  lose  some,  that  would  not  induce  us  to  abandon  it ; 
for  its  operation  is  a  powerful  stimulus  to  the  school 
as  a  whole." 

3.  It  breaks  the  tie  between  teacher  and  scholar. 
This  objection  seems  to  have  more  weight.     When 

relations  are  what  they  should  be  a  very  strong  bond 
of  affection  grows  up  between  the  faithful  teacher  and 
the  pupils  of  his  class.  The  same  is  true  in  our 
public  schools.  The  children  are  often  greatly  at- 
tached to  their  teachers,  and  teachers  to  their  scholars ; 
but  there  is  mutual  joy  to  both  teacher  and  scholar 
when  the  separation  comes  through  the  promotion  of 
the  scholar.     And,  in  all  above  the  primary  depart- 


114  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

ment,    teacher    and    scholars    may    advance    together 
through  the  whole  course  included  in  any  department. 


IV 

What  System  Should  be  Adopted? 

This  question  I  am  not  prepared  to  answer.  Above 
all  else,  the  Bible  must  be  offered  in  its  purity.  What 
I  have  said  bears  particularly  on  the  method  of  grad- 
ing, not  on  the  orthodoxy  of  either  of  the  systems 
mentioned.  Of  course,  doubt  on  this  point,  even  the 
slightest  doubt,  would  more  than  offset  all  the  advan- 
tages any  system  has  to  offer.  The  Westminster  Sup- 
plemental System  is  so  called  because  it  retains  the 
International  lessons  and  provides  a  supplemental 
course;  the  Blakeslee  System  drops  the  International 
lessons  and  has  an  independent  course  of  Bible  study, 
going  through  the  Bible  twice  in  the  primary  depart- 
ment, and  three  times  in  the  main  school  department. 

In  the  Westminster  system  the  grading  is  done,  not 
on  the  International  lesson  studies,  but  on  the  supple- 
mental course.  In  the  other  system  the  grading  is 
mainly  on  the  Bible  studies.  Until  the  Church  takes 
some  action,  each  pastor  and  session  should  make  a 
careful  study  of  the  different  systems  and  decide 
which  is  best  adapted  to  his  own  school.  An  eclectic 
system  which  would  use  the  Blakeslee  system  of  Bible 
studies  and  the  Westminster  as  to  the  Catechism, 
substituting  Psalms  for  hymns,  would  secure  the  best 
out  of  both  systems.  Some  suggestions  as  to  intro- 
ducing the  graded  system  will  come  in  the  next  lecture ; 
let  me  suggest  that  there  is  a  life  work  here  for  some 
ardent  young  Covenanter,  preparing  such  a  system. 


LECTURE  XII 
THE  HOME  DEPARTMENT 

W.  A.  Duncan,  Ph.  D.,  President  of  the  Interna- 
tional Home  Department  Association,  writing  in  the 
Sunday  School  Times  of  Nov.  4,  1899,  says:  "The 
Home  Department  is  no  longer  an  experiment.  In 
numberless  cases  it  has  demonstrated  its  great  useful- 
ness and  has  shown  that  it  is  extraordinarily  adapted 
for  the  purpose  of  reaching  those  outside  of  the 
Church  and  Sunday  School.  Therefore  it  has  become 
not  merely  the  privilege,  but  the  duty,  of  every  Sun- 
day School  to  organize  a  Home  Department.  The 
very  same  reasons  exist  for  having  a  Home  Depart- 
ment as  for  having  a  Main,  Junior,  or  Primary  De- 
partment." 

This  comparatively  new  department  is  now  fully 
recognized  in  the  different  denominations  by  the 
preparation  of  special  literature  adapted  to  its  use. 
The  United  Presbyterian  Board  issues  a  Quarterly 
entitled  "The  Bible  Readers'  Home  Companion,  an 
Aid  to  the  Home  Department."  The  Presbyterian 
Board  publishes  "The  Westminster  Home  Department 
Quarterly."  The  Sunday  School  Times  has  given 
special  attention  to  the  development  of  this  depart- 
ment. In  1895  our  Synod  recommended  "that  this 
department  be  introduced  at  once  into  all  the  Sabbath 
Schools."  This  recommendation  has  not  been  carried 
into  effect  generally.  The  present  lecture  will  be  de- 
voted to  a  consideration  of  the  Home  Department. 

"5 


ii6  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 


The  Specific  Object  of  the  Home  Department. 

1.  To  reach  those  who  cannot  attend  the  Sabbath 
School. 

Dr.  Duncan  in  the  article  referred  to  above  says: 
"All  Christian  work  is  based  on  the  great  commission : 
*Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  Gospel  to 
every  creature.'  Until  the  Home  Department  was 
organized  the  Sunday  School  was  not  fulfilling  its 
obligations  under  this  commission,  for  it  offered  an 
opportunity  to  study  the  Word  of  God  only  to  those 
who  would  attend  the  regular  sessions  of  the  Sunday 
School.  Sunday-school  membership  was  confined  to 
attendants  upon  Sunday-school  services.  By  a  sim- 
ple change  in  the  basis  of  Sunday-school  membership, 
the  Home  Department  expanded  the  walls  of  the  Sun- 
day-school room,  so  as  to  include  the  whole  parish. 
This  change  in  the  basis  of  membership  is  the  funda- 
mental and  vital  idea  upon  which  Home  Departments 
are  organized." 

2.  To  reach  those  who  will  not  attend  the  Sabbath 
School. 

A  little  booklet  entitled  "About  the  Home  Depart- 
ment," published  by  John  D.  Wattles  &  Co.,  Phila- 
delphia, Pa.,  says:  "The  Home  Department  is 
designed  primarily  for  those  persons  in  the  immediate 
community  and  elsewhere  who  cannot  attend  the  regu- 
lar sessions  of  the  Sunday  School ;  but  it  may  also 
properly  include  those  who  for  various  reasons  are 
not  disposed  to  attend." 

It  has  been  tersely  stated  that  there  are  two  general 
classes  of  people  whom  it  seeks  to  reach,  the  "Can'ts" 
and  the  "Won'ts."  Evidently  the  Home  Department 
does  not  lack  for  a  field,  whatever  may  be  said  of  the 
character  of  the  soil. 


THE  HOME  DEPARTMENT  117 


II 

Who  are  Eligible  to  Membership  in  the  Home  De- 
partment? 

1.  Children  who  are  too  young,  and  men  and 
women  who  are  too  aged  to  attend  the  pubHc 
services  of  the  Sabbath  School. 

2.  Mothers  who  are  kept  at  home  by  family  cares 
and   duties. 

3.  Confirmed  invalids,  i.  e.,  the  ''shut-ins." 

4.  Those  disqualified  for  taking  part  in  the  public 
exercises  by  want  of  bodily  senses,  i.  e.,  blind, 
deaf,  dumb. 

5.  Those  whose  professions  prevent  them  from  at- 
tendance, e.  g.,  physicians  and  nurses. 

6.  Those  living  at  a  distance  or  absent  from  home, 
e.  g.,  commercial  travelers. 

7.  Those  who  could  attend,  but  will  not, 

a.  Because   of   indifference,    worldliness   or   in- 
dolence. 

b.  Because  of  prejudice  against  the  Church,  the 
pastor,  or  some  one  connected  with  the  school. 

c.  Because    of    diffidence — conscious    of    their 
ignorance  and  unwilling  to  expose  it. 

The  report  on  Sabbath  Schools  made  to  our  Synod 
in  1895  says :  'Tn  every  community  there  are  per- 
sons who  from  necessity,  or  choice,  are  in  no  way 
connected  with  Sabbath  Schools  and  not  infrequently 
a  large  proportion  of  such  are  found  among  pro^ 
fessing  Christians.  Any  method  of  Sabbath-school 
work  that  will  enlist  the  attention  and  meet  the  wants 
of  these,  and,  at  the  same  time,  carry  the  Word  of 
God  into  the  homes  of  the  irreligious  and  ungodly 
will  be  welcomed.  Such  the  Home  Department  has 
proved  wherever  operated." 


ii8  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

III 

The  Method  of  Work  in  the  Home  Department. 

This  must,  in  some  measure,  be  determined  by  the 
pastor  and  Sabbath-school  workers  in  each  congrega- 
tion. 

I.  The  literature  prepared  for  its  special  use  in- 
cludes— 

a.  A  home  class  membership  card. 

It   reads  as  follows:     *T,  the  undersigned,  hereby 

join  the  Home  Class  Department  of  the Sabbath 

School.  In  so  doing  I  promise,  unless  providentially 
hindered,  to  spend  at  least  one  half-hour  each  week, 
either  on  or  before  the  Sabbath,  in  the  study  of  the 
regular  Sabbath-school  lesson.  Name —  Date —  Ad- 
dress— " 

b.  Certificate  of  membership  in  the  Home  Class 
Department. 

This   reads   as   follows:     "This  certifies  that  

has  been  enrolled  as  a  member  of  the  Home  Depart- 
ment Class,  and  is  entitled  to  all  the  privileges  enjoyed 
by  any  member  of  the  regular  school.  — Superin- 
tendent — Pastor  — Date."  This  certificate,  duly 
signed  by  the  pastor  and  superintendent,  is  given  to  the 
scholar. 

c.  A  Home  Department  Quarterly. 

These  are  prepared  with  Lesson  Helps,  questions 
with  space  for  written  answers,  and  a  record  in  which 
to  report  the  time  devoted  to  study  each  week. 

d.  Home  Department  envelope. 

This  is  a  prepared  envelope  suitable  for  entering  a 
report  of  the  lessons  studied,  and  enclosing  a  quar- 
terly offering  to  the  Lord. 

There  is  other  literature,  but  this  is  sufficient  for 
inaugurating  the  work  on  a  systematic  basis. 


THE  HOME  DEPARTMENT  119 

2.  Course  of  procedure  in  conducting  the  Home 
Department. 

a.  Enroll  all  non-attenders  at  Sabbath  School 
who  will  sign  the  membership  card. 

b.  Classify  them,  assigning  each  to  a  visitor. 

c.  Provide  each  member  with  a  lesson  quarterly 
and  a  quarterly  report  envelope. 

d.  At  the  close  of  each  quarter  the  visitors,  or 
teachers,  collect  these  quarterlies  and  enve- 
lopes, and  give  out  the  new  ones  for  the  next 
quarter. 

e.  The  visitor,  or  teacher,  should  make  regular 
quarterly  reports  of  his  class,  or  district,  to 
the  regular  officers  of  the  school. 

f.  Where  the  Home  Department  becomes  large, 
it  may  have  a  special  superintendent  and  sec- 
retary, as  assistants  to  the  regular  officers  of 
the  school. 

3.  Methods  of  classification. 

These   will   be    determined    by   the   circumstances. 
There  may  be — 

a.  The  individual  class,  where  there  is  but  one 
who  will  engage  to  do  the  work, 

b.  The  family  class,  i.  e.,  where  different  mem- 
bers of  a  family  engage  in  it. 

c.  The  district  class,  where  there  are  a  number  of 
members  in  a  neighborhood  under  one  teacher 
or  visitor. 

d.  Foreign  class,  composed  of  members  who  are 
learning  the  English  language.  Some  may 
not  be  able  to  study  for  themselves  and  each 
scholar  may  require  a  teacher. 

4.  The  privileges  and  relations  of  the  Home  De- 
partment, classes  and  teachers,  are  identical 
with  those  of  the  regular  school. 

The  pastor  of  the  Sabbath  School  owes  the  same 


120  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

spiritual  oversight  to  the  members  of  this  department 
as  to  the  scholars  in  the  regular  school.  The  mem- 
bers are  entitled  to  the  use  of  the  library  and  other 
Sabbath-school  literature  and  to  attend  the  picnics, 
entertainments,  excursions  and  anniversaries  of  the 
school. 

IV 

The  Advantages  of  the  Home  Department. 

1.  It  is  calculated  to  enlist  all  the  families  of  the 
congregation  in  the  Sabbath-school  work. 

2.  It  draws  members  into  the  Sabbath  School 
proper. 

The  President  of  the  International  Home  Depart- 
ment says :  "The  visitors  constantly  strive  to  interest 
students  in  the  regular  services  of  the  Sabbath  School, 
inviting  them  to  attend  the  preaching  and  the  regular 
school  services,  showing  them  the  advantages  of  such 
study  over  independent,  isolated  work.  As  a  result, 
about  one-third  of  all  the  Home  Class  students  unite 
with  the  main  school." 

3.  It  secures  the  cooperation  of  parents  in  the  in- 
struction of  their  children. 

4.  It  brings  the  blessings  and  fellowship  of  the 
Sabbath  School  to  those  who  are  unable  to  at- 
tend. 

5.  It  brings  earnest  Christian  workers  into  per- 
sonal contact  with  those  who  are  neglecting  the 
Word  of  God  and  their  souls'  salvation. 

6.  It  wins  to  the  Church  some  who  are  alienated 
from  it. 

7.  It  aids  in  the  cultivation  of  systematic  giving 
and  increases  the  contributions  to  the  Lord's 
work. 

One  pastor  writes :     ''As  to  the  Home  Department, 


THE  HOME  DEPARTMENT  121 

the  whole  congregation,  and  especially  all  the  teachers 
and  officers  in  both  the  congregational  and  mission 
Sabbath  Schools,  have  become  enthusiastic  supporters 
of  it.  .  .  .  We  have  more  than  forty  persons  regu- 
larly studying  the  weekly  Sabbath-school  lessons  and 
contributing  to  the  Lord's  work,  outside  of  the  con- 
gregation; and  their  contributions  are  quite  as  good, 
if  not  better,  than  those  of  our  own  members.  So 
also  their  study  of  the  lessons.  Many  of  them  are 
coming  occasionally  to  church,  and  two  or  three  who 
were  thus  originally  interested  have  joined  the 
church." 

These  two  methods  of  Sabbath-school  work,  i.  e., 
the  Graded  System  and  the  Home  Department,  are 
comparatively  new,  and  are  not  by  any  means  general 
throughout  our  Church;  but  such  testimony  as  the 
above  will  commend  them  to  your  consideration  as 
candidates  for  the  pastoral  office. 


Precautionary      Remarks      on      Introducing      New 
Methods. 

I.  Do  not  attempt  new  methods  until  you  secure 
the  cooperation  of  your  leading  workers. 

The  success  of  such  methods  as  these  cannot  be  as- 
sured in  the  face  of  determined  opposition,  or  even 
indifference.  It  is  a  great  gain  if  persons  can  be  re- 
strained from  taking  an  attitude  of  antagonism,  be- 
cause it  is  so  difficult  to  rejoice  in  the  success  of  a 
scheme  which  has  been  carried  on  in  despite  of  one's 
prediction  of  failure.  It  is  easier  to  gain  consent  in 
advance  than  afterward.  Of  course  a  pastor  cannot 
always  permit  his  plans  to  be  blocked  by  the  unreason- 
ing opposition  of  a  few  opinionated  and  unprogressive 


122  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

men.     "Be  ye,  therefore,  wise  as  serpents  and  harm- 
less as  doves." 

2.  It  may  be  better  to  confine  the  graded  system 
at  first  to  the  children  and  young  people. 

Some  of  the  aged  people  cannot  memorize,  and 
others  of  them  are  wedded  to  the  old  way  and  are 
made  uncomfortable  by  new-fangled  methods.  It  is 
better  to  leave  them  out  at  first  and  let  them  drift  in, 
than  to  force  them  in  at  the  outset  and  have  them 
drop  out. 

3.  Bear  in  mind  that  the  brilliant  success  of  any 
method  in  one  congregation  does  not  insure  its 
success  in  every  other. 

Fields  dififer.  Pastors  differ.  Workers  differ. 
Circumstances  differ.  In  forming  plans  of  work  you 
must  follow  the  inductive  method,  i.  e.,  make  a  full 
and  complete  collection  of  all  the  facts  and  deduce  a 
theory  that  will  embrace  all  the  phenomena.  Failure 
here  will  end  in  disappointment. 

4.  These  methods  require  work  and  perseverance 
to  make  them  successful. 

No  one  can  study  the  Graded  System  or  the  Home 
Department  without  perceiving  that  such  methods  de- 
mand unwearying,  self-sacrificing  toil.  A  certain 
well-worn  Latin  phrase  concerning  the  price  of  ex- 
cellence is  nowhere  more  just  than  here.  The  ease- 
loving  pastor  need  not  attempt  these  methods.  He 
will  not  succeed  in  them.  But  for  the  faithful  perse- 
vering worker  they  have  rewards. 

And  now,  young  gentlemen,  this  is  all  the  time  we 
can  devote  to  the  study  of  this  department  of  the 
Church's  activities.  There  is  a  demand  that  the  theo- 
logical seminaries  shall  furnish  the  practical  instruc- 
tion necessary  to  equip  candidates  for  the  pastoral 
office ;  much  must  be  learned  by  doing,  and  this  is 
especially  true  as  to  Sabbath-school  work.  I  have 
done  my  best  to  cover  the  ground.     I  am  well  aware 


THE  HOME  DEPARTMENT  123 

that  many  important  aspects  of  the  work  are  still  left 
untouched.  For  these  I  can  only  refer  you  to  the 
books  referred  to  in  these  lectures,  especially,  The 
Modern  Sunday  School,  by  Bishop  John  H.  Vincent; 
Teachers  and  Teaching,  by  Dr.  Trumbull;  and  How 
to  Conduct  a  Sunday  School,  by  Marion  Lawrence; 
and  to  Murphy's  Pastoral  Theology. 

As  my  last  word  to  you  on  Sabbath  Schools,  I 
would  charge  you  to  regard  as  imperative  the  Saviour's 
command,  'Teed  my  lambs."  ''Take  heed  that  ye 
despise  not  one  of  these  little  ones ;  for  I  say  unto 
you,  That  in  heaven  their  angels  do  always  behold  the 
face  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven.  .  .  .  Even  so 
it  is  not  the  will  of  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven, 
that  one  of  these  little  ones  should  perish." 


LECTURE  XIII 
YOUNG   PEOPLE'S    SOCIETIES 

Among  the  notable  activities  of  the  Church  in  the 
present  day  are  the  Young  People's  Societies,  and  the 
Church  has  been  compelled  to  give  attention  to  this 
modern  development  of  religious  activity.  The  move- 
ment is  not  one  to  be  suppressed,  much  less  is  it  to  be 
left  to  take  care  of  itself.  It  demands  painstaking 
consideration  and  the  utmost  wisdom  which  the 
Church  can  command.  Our  own  Church  is  behind 
most  of  the  denominations  in  giving  attention  to  it, 
and  yet  to  no  other  Church  is  it  of  more  vital  impor- 
tance. A  few  years  ago  the  General  Assembly  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  appointed  a  committee  of  eleven 
members,  embracing  some  of  the  ablest  ministers  and 
laymen  of  the  denomination,  and  they  spent  six  full 
days  in  the  effort  to  formulate  a  report  defining  the 
relation  of  Young  People's  Societies  to  the  Church. 
All  the  leading  denominations  have  grappled  with  the 
question.  Our  Church  has  not  fully  met  her  responsi- 
bility in  this  regard,  and  this  department  of  her  work 
lacks  unity  and  force. 

This  subject  follows  naturally  the  subject  of  Sab- 
bath Schools. 

I 

Young  People's  Societies  are  of  Different  Kinds. 

I.     Undenominational  societies. 
This   class   includes    such   societies   as   the  Y.    M. 
124 


YOUNG  PEOPLE'S  SOCIETIES  125 

C  A.,  the  Y.  W.  C  A.,  the  Y.  W.  C.  T.  U.,  the 
Legion  of  Honor,  and  such  Hke.  These  societies  are 
composed  of  young  people  gathered  from  the  various 
denominations,  and  in  some  cases  including  those  not 
members  of  any  Church.  They  are  organized  for  ob- 
jects of  a  common  Christianity.  They  all  draw  their 
strength  and  support  from  the  Church  of  Christ,  but 
have  no  organic  connection  with  it,  and  are  not  in 
any  sense  under  its  authority  and  control.  The  Y. 
M.  C.  A.  requires  its  active  members  to  belong  to 
some  evangelical  church.  I  have  already,  in  another 
connection,  endeavored  to  define  the  relation  of  a 
Covenanter  minister  to  these  organizations.  If  these 
undenominational  societies  are  formed  on  the  basis  of 
an  agreement  to  do  work  that  is  common  to  all  de- 
nominations, in  methods  which  all  denominations  ap- 
prove, and  in  the  use  of  forms  of  worship  in  which 
all  the  denominations  agree,  then  identification  and 
cooperation  with  them  is  not  difficult.  But  to  unite 
with  them  on  a  platform  that  is  in  violation  of  our 
own  public  profession  and  sworn  covenant  engage- 
ments is  hurtful,  both  to  common  Christianity,  and  to 
our  own  Church. 

I  am  fully  persuaded  that  no  form  of  undenomi- 
national society  will  satisfy  the  conscientious  pastor 
as  taking  the  place  of  the  organization  of  his  own 
young  people  under  his  own  immediate  supervision. 

2.     Interdenominational  societies. 

The  most  noted  example  of  this  class  of  young 
people's  societies  is  the  Young  People's  Society  of 
Christian   Endeavor. 

The  advantages  claimed  for  this  form  of  organiza- 
tion  are, — 

a.  That  it  is  superior  to  the  undenominational 
society,  because  it  is  within  the  bosom  of  the 
Church.  One  of  its  rules  is  "that  the  pas- 
tor,  deacons,   elders,   stewards   and   Sunday- 


126  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

school  superintendents  shall  be  ex-officio 
members  of  the  society."  I  think  this  claim 
of  superiority  over  the  undenominational  so- 
ciety is  justly  made,  and  is  of  very  great 
importance.  It  makes  the  society  a  develop- 
ment of  Church  life,  and  puts  honor  on  the 
Church  as  a  Divine  institution.  This  is  of 
great  value, 
b.  It  also  claims  superiority  over  the  de- 
nominational society  as  happily  combining 
denominational  and  interdenominational  fea- 
tures. It  is  insisted  upon,  as  one  of  the 
principles  of  Christian  Endeavor,  that  the 
Endeavorer  must  alw^ays  be  loyal  to  his  own 
Church.  This,  it  is  said,  guarantees  the 
safety  of  the  denomination.  Then  in  the  dis- 
trict and  state  unions  and  in  the  international 
conventions  held  under  the  auspices  of  the 
United  Society  of  Christian  Endeavor,  the 
young  people  have  the  added  advantage  of 
the  broader  interdenominational  fellowship. 
That  this  is  a  rightful  claim  is  not  so  clear. 
To  make  good  this  claim  it  is  necessary  to 
show  that  the  Christian  Endeavor  interde- 
nominational fellowship  is  established  on  such 
a  basis  that  the  young  people  of  all  the 
Churches  can  enter  into  it  in  consistency  with 
that  first  principle  of  Christian  Endeavor, — 
namely,  supreme  loyalty  to  the  distinctive 
principles  and  usages  of  their  own  Churches. 
3.     Denominational  societies. 

The  denominational  society  differs  from  the  unde- 
nominational in  that  instead  of  being  independent  of 
the  Church  it  is  identical  with  it.  It  is  not  only  a  form 
of  Christian  activity,  but  it  is  a  method  of  Church 
service.  It  is  the  Church  at  work.  It  is  in  organic 
union  with  the  Church  as  a  body,  and  in  vital  union 


YOUNG  PEOPLE'S  SOCIETIES  127 

with  it  as  a  life.  It  owes  its  allegiance  to  the  Church 
alone,  and  is  in  subordination  to  the  courts  of  the  de- 
nomination to  which  it  belongs.  This  is  the  form  of 
organization  adopted  by  a  large  majority  of  the  leading 
denominations  in  the  care  of  their  youth.  The  United 
Presbyterian  Church  has  its  Young  People's  Union; 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  has  its  Epzvorth 
League;  the  Baptists  have  The  Baptist  Yoking  Peo- 
ple's Union;  the  Lutherans  have  The  Luther  League; 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  has  The  Brotherhood 
of  St.  Andrew,  and  the  Canadian  Presbyterian  Church 
has  The  Presbyterian  Guild. 

4.  Societies  controlled  by  local  sessions  and  pres- 
byteries under  general  principles  laid  down  by 
the  supreme  judicatory. 

These  are  not  strictly  denominational  societies,  but 
are  largely  organized  on  denominational  principles  and 
subject  to  Church  authority. 

A.  The  regulations  adopted  by  the  Presbyterian 
Church  embrace  the  following: 

a.  "That  all  the  young  people's  religious  organi- 
zations which  are  to  be  found  within  its 
Churches  are  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
Church. 

b.  "That  in  general  these  societies  are  to  be  or- 
ganized, and  are  to  work  in  conformity  with 
the  historic  position  of  the  Church  as  ex- 
pressed in  her  standards  and  interpreted  by 
her  courts. 

c.  "The  particular  relations  of  all  Presbyterian 
young  people's  societies  to  the  Church  are  sus- 
tained in  the  first  instance  to  the  session  of  a 
particular  Church  and  thence  through  the 
session  to  the  Church  at  large. 

"Each  such  society  is  under  the  immediate 
direction,  control,  and  oversight  of  the  ses- 
sion of  that  Church  in  which  it  is  formed, 


128  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

and  that  oversight  is  not  merely  general,  but 

applies  to — 
(i)  ''The  constitution  of  the  society,  which 
the  session  must  be  careful  to  see  is 
framed  in  accordance  with  the  general 
principles  named  hereinbefore,  and  the 
received  usages  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church. 

(2)  ''The  schedule  of  its  services:  including 
the  time  of  meeting,  the  course  of  topics, 
and  the  general  leadership,  in  order  that 
such  services  may  form  an  integral  part 
of  the  work  and  worship  of  the  Church, 

(3)  "The  election  of  its  officers:  to  this  ex- 
tent that  each  society  shall  submit  for  the 
approval  of  the  session  the  list  of  those 
whom  it  has  chosen,  lest  unsuitable  per- 
sons should  be  placed  in  positions  of  in- 
fluence. 

(4)  "The  distribution  of  its  funds:  that  the 
regular  benevolent  work  of  the  Church 
under  the  care  of  Presbyterian  Boards  be 
not  allowed  to  suffer  through  indiscrimi- 
nate contributions  to  miscellaneous  objects 
which  appeal  to  individual  sympathy." 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  carrying  out  of  these  princi- 
ples would  make  all  the  young  people's  societies  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  strictly  denominational.  It 
leaves  unsettled  the  question  of  how  the  interdenomi- 
national fellowship  of  these  societies  will  be  deter- 
mined. 

B.  The  principles  adopted  by  the  Reformed  Pres- 
byterian Synod  for  the  government  of  her  young 
people's  societies  are  toiind  in  Minutes  of  Synod, 
1898,  page  53,  and  also  in  the  Minutes  for 
1901. 


YOUNG  PEOPLE'S  SOCIETIES  129 

The  report  of  a  special  committee  in  1898  contains 
the  following: 

"Your  committee  are  united  in  the  belief  that  the 
denominational  society  is  the  ideal  young  people's  so- 
ciety, and,  if  our  young  people  were  without  organi- 
zation, they  would  recommend  the  formation  of  such 
a  society."     This  report  was  adopted  by  Synod. 

The  following  recommendations  were  adopted : 

1.  "That  the  young  people's  societies  in  all  our  con- 
gregations are  under  the  immediate  control  of 
the  sessions. 

2.  "That  it  be  left  to  the  sessions  to  determine,  in 
their  wisdom,  the  name,  form  of  organization, 
services,  and  relations  of  these  societies. 

3.  "That  sessions  be  held  responsible  to  the  presby- 
teries for  the  societies  under  their  care. 

4.  "That  presbyteries  be  recommended  to  seek  to 
unite  all  the  Covenanter  young  people  within 
their  bounds  in  a  Covenanter  Young  People's 
Union,  which  shall  embrace  all  the  young  peo- 
ple's societies  in  the  congregations  under  their 
care;  and  shall  also  include  the  young  people 
not  connected  with  these  societies,  and  those 
living  in  congregations  where  no  local  societies 
exist." 

In  1901,  Synod  adopted  the  following: 

1.  "That  we  recognize  as  under  the  jurisdiction  of 
the  Church  all  young  people's  organizations  that 
may  exist  within  her  bounds;  that  the  Church 
through  her  courts  owes  to  them  maternal  care 
and  provision,  and  that  to  her  spiritual  author- 
ity they  owe  filial  obedience  in  whatever  she 
may  advise  or  direct. 

2.  "That  while  Synod  has  allowed  sessions  to  deter- 
mine in  their  wisdom  the  name,  form  of  organi- 
zation, services,  and  relations  of  the  individual 
societies,   it  is  intended  that  these  shall  be  in 


130  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

harmony  with  the  historic  testimony  and  prac- 
tice of  the  Church,  as  expressed  in  her  standards 
and  interpreted  by  her  courts. 

3.  "That  we  remind  our  young  people  that  in  their 
work  they  represent  the  denomination  of  which 
they  are  a  part,  and  that  denominational  loyalty 
consists  in  devotion  to  her  principles  and  obedi- 
ence to  her  authority. 

4.  "That  while  leaving  to  sessions  the  responsibility 
of  controlling  the  interdenominational  or  unde- 
nominational fellowship  of  the  young  people's 
societies  under  their  care,  we  recommend  pres- 
byteries to  secure  the  organization  of  all  societies 
of  young  people  in  Presbyterial  Unions  in  loyal 
recognition  of  the  primary  authority  and  inclu- 
sive scope  of  the  vows  taken  by  our  members 
when  uniting  with  the  Church;  and  we  counsel 
all  sessions  and  societies  to  guard  against  the 
corrupting  influence  of  any  and  all  false  teach- 
ing and  unscriptural  practice:  and  especially 
against  anything  in  the  matter  of  praise  con- 
trary to  the  principles  of  our  Church." 


II 

Principles  Which  Should  Govern  the  Organization  of 
Young  People's  Societies. 

Having  impartially  stated  the  characteristics  of  each 
of  these  classes  of  young  people's  organizations,  I 
submit  to  you  the  following  propositions,  which  I 
think  will  commend  themselves  to  your  judgment: 

I.  The  young  people's  societies  should  be  organized 
within  the  Church. 

The  young  people's  society  should  not  be  what  is 
termed  a  Voluntary  Society,  but  a  Church  organiza- 


YOUNG  PEOPLE'S  SOCIETIES         131 

tion.  Connection  with  it  may  be  voluntary  in  the  same 
sense  that  connection  with  the  Sabbath  School  is 
voluntary. 

2.  The  young  people's  societies  should  be  organized 
on  denominational  principles. 

If  the  Church  proposes  to  maintain  her  position  as 
a  distinct  denomination,  she  must  do  it  by  the  culture 
and  training  of  her  youth.  As  the  Presbyterian  As- 
sembly has  declared:  'These  societies  are  to  be  or- 
ganized and  to  work  in  conformity  with  the  historic 
position  of  the  Church  as  expressed  in  her  standards 
and  interpreted  by  her  courts." 

The  young  people  should  feel  that  their  engagements 
to  duty  in  the  society  have  their  sanctions  in  something 
far  more  sacred  and  solemn  than  a  mere  social  pledge ; 
namely,  in  their  sworn  covenant  engagements  and 
their  sacramental  vows.  Our  Synod  recognizes  this 
principle  when  it  recommends  "presbyteries  to  secure 
the  organization  of  all  societies  of  young  people  in 
presbyterial  unions  in  loyal  recognition  of  the  primary 
authority  and  inclusive  scope  of  the  vows  taken  by 
our  members  when  uniting  with  the  Church." 

3.  The  basis  of  the  interdenominational  fellowship 
of  the  young  people's  societies  should  be  deter- 
mined by  the  authority  of  the  churches  to  which 
the  young  people  belong. 

It  is  a  great  mistake  to  suppose  that  denominational 
young  people's  societies  can  have  no  interdenomina- 
tional fellowship.  The  following  proposition  was 
submitted  to  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  namely : — 

"That  a  committee  be  appointed  to  correspond  with 
the  representatives  of  the  young  people's  organizations 
in  the  Baptist,  Methodist,  Lutheran,  United  Presby- 
terian, Southern  Presbyterian,  and  other  Churches, 
with  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  wherein  an  interde- 
nominational fellowship  among  these  young  people  can 


132  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

be  established  and  utilized  for  the  promotion  of  those 
objects  which  we  share  in  common  with  our  sister 
Churches." 

The  Churches  named  here  have  all  organized  their 
young  people  on  a  denominational  basis.  This  was  a 
proposition  to  establish  interdenominational  fellowship 
among  these  denominational  societies,  under  the  aus- 
pices of  their  respective  denominations.  It  is  both 
reasonable  and  right  that  in  so  important  a  matter 
the  Churches  should  have  supervision  of  their  own 
young  people.  It  is  a  most  serious  defect  in  the  inter- 
denominational feature  of  Christian  Endeavor  that  it 
establishes  the  fellowship  of  the  young  people  of  the 
Churches  under  the  auspices  and  control  of  a  legal 
corporation  that  is  outside  of  all  Churches;  and  that 
it  excludes  from  this  fellowship  all  denominational  so- 
cieties. 

4.  The  interdenominational  fellowship  of  the  young 
people's  societies  should  be  regulated  by  the 
same  principles  by  which  the  Church  regulates 
her  own  interdenominational  fellowship. 

This  principle  has  been  illustrated  repeatedly  by  the 
action  of  our  Synod.  In  entering  the  Presbyterian 
Alliance  she  made  it  a  condition  that  only  what  she 
recognizes  as  Scriptural  forms  of  worship  should  be 
employed  in  the  meetings  of  the  Alliance.  When  she 
received  an  invitation  for  her  young  people  to  join  in 
conventions  where  instrumental  music  would  be  used 
in  the  worship  she  respectfully  declined  in  the  follow- 
ing terms : 

'Tn  taking  this  action  Synod  begs  to  assure  you  that 
she  is  moved  only  by  a  sincere  purpose  to  maintain 
consistently  her  testimony  for  purity  of  worship. 
This  testimony  has  been  transmitted  to  us  by  our 
covenanted  fathers  in  Scotland  and  Ireland,  and  is  the 
well-known  historical  position  of  our  Church  to  which 
her  practice  has  ever  been  conformed." 


YOUNG  PEOPLE'S  SOCIETIES  133 

As  long  as  the  Church,  in  uniting  with  sister 
Churches  in  worship,  makes  it  a  condition  that  the 
worship  in  which  they  unite  shall  be  Scriptural,  the 
same  principle  should  prevail  when  the  young  people's 
societies  unite  in  services  of  worship.  A  session  which 
would  not  arrange  for  a  union  service  in  which  hymns 
and  organs  would  be  used,  certainly  should  apply  the 
same  rule  to  the  young  people's  organization. 

5.     Denominational  fellowship  should  not  be  sacri- 
ficed for  the  sake  of  interdenominational. 

There  is  something  radically  wrong  with  the  inter- 
denominational fellowship  which  runs  a  plowshare 
through  the  heart  of  the  Churches  and  separates  the 
societies  of  the  same  denomination.  For  instance, 
there  are  a  great  number  of  Westminster  Leagues  in 
the  Presbyterian  Church.  As  societies  these  are  all 
excluded  from  fellowship  with  the  Christian  En- 
deavor Societies  of  their  own  Church,  in  district, 
county,  and  State  unions.  Frequent  proposals  have 
been  made  to  organize  local  unions  which  would  em- 
brace all  denominational  societies  in  a  town  or  com- 
munity. This  has  always  been  resisted  by  those  in 
control  of  the  Christian  Endeavor  movement,  as  being 
detrimental  to  the  interests  of  that  organization.  Such 
unions  may  have  been  formed,  but  they  are  not  ap- 
proved by  the  United  Society. 

These  five  principles  seem  to  me  to  be  self-evident, 
and  their  application  imperative  if  the  young  people's 
movement  is  to  prove  a  permanent  blessing: 

I.     The  young  people's  societies  should  he  organized 
zvithin  the  Church. 
II.     They   should   be   organized   on   denominational 

principles. 
III.     The    basis    of    interdenominational    fellowship 
should  be  determined  by  the  Churches  to  which 
they  belong. 


134  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

IV.     They  should  he  governed  by  the  principles  which 
govern   the   Church,   as  a   body,   in  her  inter- 
church  fellowship. 
V.     Denominational  fellowship  should  not  be  sacri- 
ficed for  the  sake  of  interdenominational. 


LECTURE  XIV 

THE   PASTOR  AND  THE  YOUNG  PEOPLE'S 
SOCIETY 

The  young  people's  societies  are  here.  Their  ad- 
vent generally  has  been  regarded  as  one  of  the  great 
spiritual  movements  of  the  age.  Such  has  been  their 
sway  over  the  popular  mind  that  he  was  a  bold  man 
who  dared  to  call  in  question  their  right  to  be.  This 
was  the  period  when  the  Young  People's  Society  was 
judged  by  its  professions,  what  it  claimed  to  be  and 
to  do.  Now  we  have  reached  a  period  when  it  begins 
to  be  judged  by  its  fruits.  Whether  the  Young  Peo- 
ple's Society  will  remain  as  an  approved  form  of 
Church-life  and  service  depends  upon  the  devotion 
of  its  members. 

The  fact  that  the  advent  of  the  young  people's  so- 
cieties was  followed  by  a  marked  decline  in  Church 
growth  brought  the  arrest  of  thought.  Zion's  Herald, 
one  of  the  ablest  papers  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  regards  the  influence  of  the  society  as  un- 
spiritual ;  and  says  it  leads  the  minds  of  the  young 
people  away  from  Church  connection,  the  very  oppo- 
site of  what  was  expected  of  it.  "Whatever  is  the 
cause,"  it  says,  "there  is  a  tendency  to  be  satisfied  and 
let  the  Church  go." 

One  of  our  own  ministers,  a  pastor  of  long  experi- 
ence, published  an  address  delivered  by  him  at  one 
of  our  Presbyterial  Christian  Endeavor  Conventions, 
in  which  he  says :  "There  are  dangers  necessarily 
connected  with  all  young  people's  societies.     There  is 

135 


136  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

not  one  today  in  which  are  not  manifested  hurtful 
tendencies.  Those  brethren  would  not  be  far  wrong 
who  oppose  them  in  any  and  every  form,  were  it  not 
that  they  fail  to  take  into  consideration  the  fact  that 
these  societies  are  already  in  existence,  and,  by  an 
inevitable  law,  will  continue  to  multiply."  (Dr.  J.  W. 
Sproull,  in  Oliz/e  Trees.) 

If  the  Church  comes  to  regard  the  society  as  only 
a  necessary  evil  to  which  she  submits  because  it  is 
inevitable,  she  will  find  a  way  to  rid  herself  of  it. 
My  experience  as  a  pastor,  however,  taught  me  to  look 
upon  it  in  a  more  favorable  light.     Let  us  consider: 


The  Advantages  of  a  Young  People's  Society. 

I.     To  the  pastor. 

a.  It  brings  the  pastor  into  closer  sympathy  with 
the  young  people. 

Many  ministers  find  it  difficult  to  establish  proper 
relations  with  their  young  people.  If  they  stand  apart 
from  them,  surrounded  by  an  atmosphere  of  minis- 
terial dignity,  they  may  win  their  respect,  but  not 
their  love.  If  they  mingle  with  them  in  their  social 
gatherings  and  amusements  as  one  of  themselves, 
there  is  danger  that  the  too  great  familiarity  may 
breed  contempt.  The  solution  of  the  difficult  problem 
lies  in  the  young  people's  meeting,  where  the  pastor 
mingles  with  the  young  people,  as,  indeed,  one  of 
themselves,  and  yet  goes  before  them  as  their  leader 
in  a  delightful,  yet  solemn  religious  experience. 

b.  It  promotes  his  acquaintance  with  their  spirit- 
ual needs. 

The  pastor  needs  to  know  the  needs  of  the  flock. 
With   the   young  people   this   is   sometimes   difficult. 


YOUNG  PEOPLE'S  SOCIETIES  137 

They  do  not  open  their  hearts  to  him.  How  can  he 
come  in  contact  with  their  souls?  The  Young  Peo- 
ple's Society  furnishes  the  meeting  ground.  Their 
prayer-meeting  usually  is  more  of  an  experience  meet- 
ing than  the  congregational  prayer-meeting  is.  They 
cannot  descant  so  learnedly  on  doctrinal  subjects,  and 
naturally  turn  to  the  practical  side.  They  have  fewer 
set  phrases  in  prayer,  and  their  petitions  are  more  of 
an  index  to  their  hearts.  The  thoughtful  pastor, 
mingling  with  them  in  these  services,  becomes  ac- 
quainted with  their  inner  life.  Words  let  drop  in  the 
young  people's  meeting  will  often  open  the  way  for 
private  interviews  when  the  whole  heart  will  be  laid 
open  to  the  pastor  for  counsel  and  help. 

c.     The  pastor  is  supported  by  their  prayers. 

Some  of  the  very  sweetest  hours  in  my  pastoral 
experience  were  in  the  Sabbath  evening  meetings  of 
my  young  people,  when,  weary  and  frequently  dis- 
couraged with  the  labors  of  the  day,  I  sat  and  listened 
to  the  gracious  words  that  fell  from  their  lips,  and 
the  fervent  petitions  in  my  behalf  that  rose  from  their 
tender  and  loving  hearts.  I  would  not  willingly  part 
with  the  memory  of  it.  The  pastor  has  an  ample  com- 
pensation for  all  the  labor  it  imposes  on  him  in  the 
good  it  brings  to  himself. 

2.     The  Young  People's  Society  is  a  connecting  link 
between  the  Sabbath  School  and  the  Church. 

One  of  the  greatest  difficulties  experienced  in  Sab- 
bath-school work  is  to  retain  scholars  when  they  pass 
out  of  childhood  and  young  manhood  and  woman- 
hood. At  this  point  the  young  people's  society  renders 
valuable  aid.  It  binds  the  youth  of  the  Sabbath 
School  to  the  Church  by  a  threefold  bond, 
a.     By  a  social  tie. 

The  difficulty  with  many  of  our  young  people  is, 
that  they  form  social  relations  either  with  the  uncon- 
verted and  the  irreligious  or  with  those  having  moral 


138  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

and  religious  standards  lower  than  our  own.  By  the 
powerful  influence  of  the  social  nature  they  are  drawn 
away  from  the  Church.  The  best  way  to  counteract 
this  evil  is  to  employ  the  social  nature  to  bind  them 
to  the  Church. 

b.  By  a  religious  tie. 

Man's  religious  nature  is  still  more  powerful  than 
his  social  nature.  If  it  is  possible  to  weave  the  golden 
threads  of  religious  experience  into  the  web  of  life, 
so  that  it  cannot  be  separated  without  a  painful  rend- 
ing, then  the  Church  will  not  lose  her  young  people. 
A  well-conducted  Young  People's  Society  will  help 
to  do  this. 

c.  By  a  tie  of  practical  work. 

Multitudes  drift  away  simply  beause  they  have  no 
working  interest  in  the  Church.  They  are  not  ripe 
enough  in  knowledge  or  in  Christian  experience  to  be 
Sabbath-school  teachers.  They  are  not  qualified  to 
be  deacons  or  elders.  They  find  no  use  for  their  gifts. 
Having  nothing  to  do  they  soon  cease  to  care.  The 
young  people's  society  is  a  portion  of  the  vineyard  in 
which  they  can  find  some  practical  work.  It  will  form 
another  tie  to  bind  them  to  the  Church. 

3.  It  is  a  means  of  regulating  the  Christian  de- 
portment of  young  people. 

a.  It  guards  the  negative  side  of  the  Christian 
life  by  cultivating  the  positive  side. 

The  Christian  life  is  not  one  of  repression,  but  of 
expression.  ''Walk  in  the  spirit  and  ye  shall  not 
fulfill  the  lusts  of  the  flesh."  As  to  how  to  get  rid  of 
evil :  "Learn  to  do  well,"  and  you  will  soon  ''cease 
to  do  evil."  Cultivate  the  positive  side,  and  the  nega- 
tive side  will  take  care  of  itself. 

b.  It  controls  the  conduct  of  young  people  by 
love  of  Christ,  rather  than  by  fear  of  disci- 
pline. 

It  is  perhaps  true  that  in  former  days  the  Church 


YOUNG  PEOPLE'S  SOCIETIES  139 

depended  too  much  on  the  fear  of  the  session  to 
restrain  her  young  people  from  sinful  and  worldly 
amusements  and  appealed  too  little  to  their  love  of 
Christ.  I  would  not  be  understood  as  urging  the 
relaxing  of  Church  discipline,  but  I  plead  for  the  culti- 
vation of  that  which  shall  make  discipline  less  neces- 
sary. I  long  for  the  day  when  young  people  will  be 
kept  from  the  dance,  the  pool-room,  and  the  theater 
by  their  love  of  purity,  rather  than  by  the  fear  of  the 
session.  Too  many  young  Christians  are,  like  Simon 
the  Cyrenian,  ''compelled  to  bear  His  cross." 

4.     It  promotes  Christian  culture. 

The  Church  is  generally  remiss  in  the  care  of  new 
converts.  Great  effort  is  put  forth  to  persuade  them 
to  come  into  the  Church,  but,  once  their  names  are  on 
the  roll,  effort  in  their  behalf  ceases.  That  is  the  very 
point  where  it  ought  to  be  redoubled.  The  secret  of 
many  an  apostasy  can  be  found  in  the  failure  of  the 
Church  to  follow  up  her  work.  The  young  people's 
society  promotes   Christian  culture: 

a.  By  the  study  of  the  Scriptures. 

'*As  new-born  babes,  desire  the  sincere  milk  of  the 
word,  that  ye  may  grow  thereby."  (I  Peter  ii,  2.) 
"Wherewithal  shall  a  young  man  cleanse  his  way?  by 
taking  heed  thereto  according  to  thy  word."  (Psalm 
cxix,  9.) 

b.  By  experimental  acquaintance  with  Christ. 
"But  grow  in  grace,  and  in  the  knowledge  of  our 

Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ."  (II  Peter  iii,  18.) 
This  is  not  knowing  about  Christ,  but  knowing  Him. 
"That  I  may  know  Him,  and  the  power  of  His  resur- 
rection, and  the  fellowship  of  His  sufferings,  being 
made  conformable  unto  His  death."     (Philip,  iii,  10.) 

c.  By  frequent  personal  testimony. 

Christ  asked  such  questions  as  these:  "Who 
touched  me?"  "What  think  ye  of  Christ?"  "Whom 
say  ye  that  I  am?"     "Simon,  son  of  Jonas,  lovest  thou 


I40  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

me?"  Such  questions  were  not  addressed  merely  to 
new  converts,  but  also  to  those  who  had  been  with 
Him  from  the  beginning.  Why?  Not  for  infonna- 
tion,  for  He  knew  all  things.  It  was  partly,  at  least, 
to  call  forth  the  testimony  of  His  disciples,  that  they 
might  have  their  own  faith  made  clear  and  strong  by 
bold  confession  as  to  who  He  was  and  what  He  had 
done  for  them.  To  such  service  the  young  people's 
society  invites. 

5.  It  is  a  training  school  for  Christian  workers, 

a.  All  Christians  need  work. 

No  matter  how  well  instructed  they  may  be,  they 
cannot  be  strong  Christians  without  something  to  do. 
Rich  food  without  exercise  is  liable  to  produce  dys- 
pepsia. That  there  are  not  more  spiritual  dyspeptics 
among  idle  professors  is  due  to  the  fact  that  many  of 
them  are  fed  on  very  light  diet. 

b.  The  Church  needs  workers. 

Look  at  the  uncultivated  fields  and  the  ungathered 
sheaves,  and  this  just  around  the  church  doors.  It 
is  pitiful  to  see  Christians  dwindling  and  pining  away 
for  want  of  work,  and  souls  perishing  for  want  of 
workers. 

c.  The  workers  need  training. 

It  is  vain  to  expect  men  and  women  to  take  up,  in 
mature  years,  work  for  which  they  have  had  no  train- 
ing in  early  life.  It  is  the  mission  of  the  young  peo- 
ple's society  to  raise  up  an  army  of  trained  soldiers, 
accustomed  from  their  youth  to  use  the  weapons  of 
spiritual  warfare  in  fighting  the  battles  of  the  Lord, 
and  the  implements  of  Christian  husbandry  in  culti- 
vating His  vineyard,  and  the  tools  of  Christian  work 
in  building  the  temple. 

6.  It  promotes  true  denominational  attachment. 
This  does  not  mean  an  empty  pride  in  an  ancestral 

name.  It  means  devotion  to  divine  institutions,  to  a 
system  of  God-given  and  blood-bought  truth,  and  to 


YOUNG  PEOPLE'S  SOCIETIES  141 

the  accomplishment  of  a  heaven-appointed  mission. 
Such  an  attachment  must  be  founded  upon  intellectual 
knowledge,  conscientious  convictions,  and  deep  reli- 
gious experience :  and  these  the  young  people's  society 
should  supply.  In  personal  experience  as  a  pastor  I 
found  this  true. 


II 

The  Dtity  of  the  Pastor  to  the  Young  People's  Society. 

1.  He  should  attend  the  meetings  regularly. 

a.  For  his  own  sake. 

I  have  already  spoken  of  the  advantages  to  the 
pastor  of  the  3^oung  people's  society.  To  secure  these 
he  must  be  a  regular  attendant. 

b.  For  the  sake  of  the  young  people. 

The  presence  of  the  pastor  is  important  in  order 
to  maintain  the  proprieties  of  the  meeting.  A  young 
people's  meeting  has  its  perils.  It  may  be  a  very  good 
thing,  and  it  is  possible  for  it  to  becom.e  a  very  bad 
thing.  Satan's  wolves  delight  to  pounce  upon  the 
lambs  of  the  flock  when  the  shepherd  is  away.  It  will 
be  difficult  to  secure  regular  attendance  of  the  young 
people  if  the  pastor  is  irregular. 

c.  Because    an    irregular   attendance   makes   his 
presence  embarrassing  to  the  young  people. 

At  first  it  is  one  of  the  trials  of  the  young  people 
to  take  part  when  the  pastor  is  present.  If  he  attends 
regularly  the  embarrassment  passes  away.  But  if 
they  never  know  when  to  look  for  him,  his  coming  in 
\N\\\  put  a  damper  on  the  meeting,  and  the  young  peo- 
ple will  come  to  feel  that  the  very  poorest  meetings 
they  have  are  those  when  the  pastor  is  there. 

2.  The  pastor  should  enter  heartily  into  the  young 
people's  plans. 


142  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

a.  He  should  counsel  with  their  committees. 

It  is  common  for  these  societies  to  carry  on  their 
work  through  various  committees.  Dr.  Cuyler's  so- 
ciety had  a  devotional  committee  to  arrange  prayer- 
meetings  ;  a  visiting  committee  to  look  after  the  sick ; 
an  entertainment  committee  to  arrange  music,  read- 
ings, and  other  pleasant  features  for  a  monthly  social ; 
a  temperance  committee  to  oversee  that  branch  of 
Christian  labor;  a  relief  committee  for  cases  of  pov- 
erty ;  and  another  to  bring  flowers  for  the  pulpit  every 
Sabbath  and  later  send  them  to  the  rooms  of  the  sick. 
In  many  societies  the  pastor  is,  ex  officio,  a  member 
of  all  committees.  All  need  his  counsel  and  it  should 
be  given  sympathetically. 

b.  He  should  assist  them  in  any  proper  special 
work. 

If  the  young  people  act  wisely,  they  will  not  under- 
take work  without  the  pastor's  counsel.  It  has  been 
found  beneficial  for  them  to  have  a  special  work 
which  they  call  their  own.  But  it  should  not  be  inde- 
pendent of  the  control  of  the  pastor  and  session.  If 
their  work  needs  financial  support  it  is  well  for  the 
pastor  to  give  and  to  encourage  others  to  aid  them. 

c.  Encourage  their  efforts  to  quicken  themselves 
in  duty. 

There  are  differences  of  view  as  to  the  propriety  of 
having  a  society  pledge  and  a  monthly  consecration 
service.  These  are  essential  features  of  the  Christian 
Endeavor  Society.  So  far  as  I  know,  denominational 
societies  make  the  taking  of  a  special  pledge  optional. 
Dr.  Cuyler,  speaking  of  the  terms  of  membership  in 
his  society,  says :  *Tt  embraces  three  classes  of  mem- 
bers: active,  associate,  and  honorary.  Any  member 
of  our  Church  between  the  ages  of  fifteen  and  forty- 
five  may  be  chosen  an  active  member  of  the  asso- 
ciation;   any    person   of   good   moral   character   may 


YOUNG  PEOPLE'S  SOCIETIES  143 

become  an  associate  member  entitled  to  all  privileges 
except  that  of  holding  office." 

My  own  opinion  is  that  this  is  the  right  basis  of 
membership,  and  that  a  special  pledge  in  addition  to 
the  Church  Covenant  should  not  be  required ;  but  every 
effort  should  be  made  to  quicken  members  to  a  sense 
of  the  binding  obligation  of  our  Church  vows.  Many 
of  our  denominational  societies  have  adopted  the  fol- 
lowing paragraph  from  our  Church  Covenant  of  1871, 
viz: 

"We  take  the  moral  law  as  dispensed  by  the  medi- 
ator, Christ,  to  be  the  rule  of  our  life,  and  to  be 
obeyed  by  us  in  all  its  precepts  and  prohibitions. 
Aiming  to  live  for  the  glory  of  God  as  our  chief  end, 
we  will  in  reliance  upon  God's  grace,  and  feeling  our 
inability  to  perform  any  spiritual  duty  in  our  own 
strength,  diligently  attend  to  searching  the  Scriptures, 
religious  conversation,  the  duties  of  the  closet,  the 
household,  the  fellowship  meeting  and  the  sanctuary, 
and  will  seek  in  them  to  worship  God  in  spirit  and 
in  truth.  We  do  solemnly  promise  to  depart  from 
all  iniquity,  and  to  live  soberly,  and  righteously,  and 
godly  in  this  present  world,  commending  and  encour- 
aging by  our  example :  temperance,  charity,  and  godli- 
ness." 

d.  He  should  exercise  judicious  restraint  over 
the  young  people. 

They  will  probably  have  plans  which  your  judgment 
will  not  approve.  Do  not  yield  everything  to  their 
judgment.  Guard  against  mere  fault-finding,  but 
persuade  them  to  other  things. 

e.  Preach  sermons  to  the  young  people. 

It  is  questionable  whether  more  good  than  harm 
is  done  by  the  observance  of  Young  People's  Day, 
Decision  Day,  Rally  Day,  and  such  special  occasions, 
but  a  sermon  especially  for  the  young  people  may  be 
very  helpful. 


144  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 


IV 

Dangers   to   he   Avoided   in  Connection  with    Young 
P copiers  Societies. 

1.  The  danger  of  separating  the  people  into  classes. 
One   of   the   most    reasonable   objections   made   to 

young  people's  societies  is  that  they  tend  to  put  asunder 
what  God  has  joined  together,  namely,  the  old  and 
the  young.  The  young,  it  is  said,  need  the  old;  and 
certainly  we  who  are  old  need  the  young.  This  sepa- 
ration would  be  an  evil  indeed,  but  it  does  not  neces- 
sarily follow.  These  two  classes  should  not  be 
permitted  to  drift  apart.  Encourage  the  older  people 
occasionally  to  drop  into  the  young  people's  meeting. 
Keep  the  young  people  constantly  in  the  congrega- 
tional prayer-meeting.  Teach  them  that  if  they  can 
attend  only  one  prayer-meeting  in  the  week,  it  should 
be  the  prayer-meeting  of  the  congregation,  and  not 
the  young  people's  meeting. 

2.  Avoid  the  cultivation  of  a  self-sufficient  or  self- 
satisfied  spirit. 

There  are  forms  of  evil  which  have  a  tendency  to 
creep  into  young  people's  societies.  They  are  little 
foxes  that  spoil  the  vines,  and  our  vines  have  tender 
grapes.  The  very  fact  of  putting  forward  very  young 
children  to  lead  the  meetings,  or  calling  upon  them 
to  testify  as  to  their  religious  experience,  has  its  perils. 

3.  Guard    against    irreverence     in    the    religious 
services. 

Irreverence  in  worship  is  a  sad  blight  upon  Protes- 
tant Churches.  It  is  necessary  for  the  pastor  to  hold 
the  reins  with  a  firm  hand  in  this  matter.  Young 
people  who  are  not  intentionally  wicked  are  often  very 
thoughtless,  and  shamefully  irreverent  in  the  house 
of  God. 

The  leaders  in  large  conventions  of  young  people 


YOUNG  PEOPLE'S  SOCIETIES  145 

are  not  always  sufficiently  careful  to  preserve  the 
spirit  of  reverent  worship.  A  recent  report  of  one 
such  gathering  told  that  the  leader  of  the  choir  called 
upon  all  who  were  over  thirty  years  of  age  to  sing 
one  verse  of  the  hymn;  and  all  under  thirty  to  sing 
the  succeeding  verse.  The  worshipers  sang  with  an 
amused  smile  playing  over  their  faces  as  they  glanced 
from  side  to  side  to  mark  the  effect  upon  those  of 
uncertain  age.  Could  anything  be  more  unbecoming 
than  that  in  the  worship  of  God? 

4.  Guard  against  trifling  with  sacred  things  in  the 
use  of  the  pledge  and  the  consecration  meeting. 

If  it  is  decided  to  introduce  these  sacred  ceremonies, 
then  I  charge  you  that  as  pastors  you  must  hold  your- 
selves responsible  for  their  employment  in  the  most 
solemn  and  impressive  way.  I  can  hardly  conceive  of 
anything  more  calculated  to  bring  upon  young  souls 
the  blight  of  spiritual  decline  than  a  monthly  renewal 
of  promises  to  God,  followed  by  their  habitual  vio- 
lation. 

5.  Guard  them  against  the  violation  of  their  pro- 
fession in  the  interdenominational  gatherings. 

There  seems  to  be  a  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the 
consistency  of  Covenanter  young  people  becoming 
members  of  organizations  whose  forms  of  worship 
are  in  violation  of  the  Scriptural  law  of  worship  and 
contrary  to  the  doctrines  and  usages  of  our  Church. 
That  it  is  fraught  with  danger  no  one  need  deny. 

In  closing  this  subject  I  wish  to  express  my  pro- 
found conviction  that,  if  our  Church  is  to  live  to 
honor,  her  pastors  must  guard  more  carefully  the 
young  people's  associations.  May  God  make  you  wise 
and  safe  leaders  of  the  youth  who  will  soon  be  en- 
trusted to  your  care.  "That  our  sons  may  be  as 
plants  grown  up  in  their  youth;  that  our  daughters 
may  be  as  corner  stones,  carved  after  the  similitude  of 
a  palace." 


LECTURE  XV 

THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  MISSIONARY 
SOCIETIES 

Of  organizing  societies  there  seems  to  be  no  end. 
A  society  having  as  its  special  object  to  kill  off 
all  the  other  organizations,  is  about  all  that  is  left 
to  be  organized.  The  Woman's  Missionary  Society, 
however,  was  one  of  the  first  in  the  field  and  it  should 
be  spared  to  the  last. 

Murphy  in  his  Pastoral  Theology,  says : 
"Explain  the  matter  as  we  may,  the  fact  cannot  be 
mistaken  that,  with  woman  is  ever  to  be  found  the 
greater  part  of  the  piety,  the  earnest  devotion,  and 
the  zeal  of  the  Church.  This  is  plainly  to  be  seen  in 
all  of  our  churches.  Among  all  denominations  the 
evidences  of  it  are  to  be  found  in  the  rolls  of  the 
membership ;  in  the  attendance  upon  all  the  services 
of  the  sanctuary ;  in  her  sympathy  with  every  true 
object  of  benevolence;  in  her  readiness  to  engage  in 
every  good  work;  and  in  her  consistency  of  Hfe. 
Upon  this  element  of  piety  in  his  Church  the  pastor 
must  ever  place  great  reliance,  and  his  wisdom  will 
be  manifested  in  so  framing  his  plans  of  activity  that 
it  can  be  used  to  the  greatest  advantage.  It  is  a 
power  for  good  too  important  and  peculiar  not  to 
receive  his  special  attention." 

I 

The  Various  Missionary  Organizations. 

I.     The  Woman's  Missionary  Society. 
The  name  of  the  society  indicates  its  membership 
146 


THE  MISSIONARY  SOCIETIES  •       147 

and  the  purposes  of  the  organization.  It  is  of  long 
standing  in  the  Church  and  has  a  place  in  nearly  all 
of  our  congregations.  The  earlier  name  for  it  was 
The  Female  Missionary  Society.  Then  it  was  more 
dependent  on  the  pastor  than  it  is  now.  It  was  thought 
that  the  society  could  hardly  be  opened  with  prayer 
unless  the  pastor  or  some  prominent  male  member  of 
the  congregation  were  present.  These  societies  are 
usually  organized  under  a  constitution,  with  by-laws, 
and  the  young  pastor  will  generally  find  the  mission- 
ary society  in  full  running  operation  when  he  enters 
the  field.  If  he  does  not,  he  should  inaugurate  the 
movement  by  consultation  with  the  leading  women  of 
the  congregation.  It  is  easy  to  frame  a  constitution 
or  to  secure  a  copy  from  another  society. 

2.  The  Young  Women's  Missionary  Society. 

It  is  not  best  to  multiply  societies  unnecessarily; 
one  good  strong  society  is  better  than  two  feeble  ones ; 
but,  in  large  congregations,  it  has  been  found  desirable 
to  have  a  separate  society  for  the  young  women. 

a.  It  frequently  suits  the  young  women  better 
to  meet  at  a  different  hour. 

b.  They  may  be  interested  in  different  lines  of 
work. 

c.  It  tends   more  to  the  development  of   their 
gifts. 

If  old  and  young  meet  together,  the  tendency  is  for 
the  meeting  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  older  mem- 
bers. The  propriety  of  having  a  young  women's  so- 
ciety depends  very  largely  on  the  circumstances,  and 
the  pastor  should  exercise  a  careful  judgment  and 
give  his  advice. 

3.  The  Children's  Mission  Band. 

This  name  is  usually  given  to  the  organization  of 
the  children.  Some  doubt  the  propriety  of  such  or- 
ganizations, but  experience  seems  to  justify  them. 

a.     They  should  be  under  the  supervision  of  one 


148  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

of  the  women  or  young  women  of  the  con- 
gregation, 
b.     A  special  effort  should  be  made  to  interest 
mission  scholars  in  the  mission  band. 

4.  The  Band  of  Hope. 

This  is  a  form  of  organization  similar  to  the  Mis- 
sion Band,  except  that  its  special  object  is  temperance 
instruction.  The  Loyal  Temperance  Legion  has 
largely  supplanted  this  organization,  and  one  or  the 
other  will  likely  claim  some  of  your  children.  Wher- 
ever children's  organizations  are  formed,  the  pastor 
should  recognize  that  they  have  a  special  claim  upon 
him.  At  no  point  can  he  make  his  work  more  effec- 
tive than  in  dealing  with  the  mind  of  childhood. 

5.  The  Boys'  Brigade  and  the  Boy  Scout  Move- 
ment. 

Much  was  formerly  made  of  the  Boys'  Brigade,  an 
organization  for  boys,  largely  wind  and  water,  with 
absolutely  nothing  to  commend  it.  The  Boy  Scout 
Movement  is  of  the  same  type,  but  has  the  grace  to 
keep  itself  clear  of  the  Church.  Such  organizations 
are  condemned  by  one  and  the  same  test:  They  are 
out  of  harmony  with  the  spirit  and  aim  of  Him  who 
is  the  Prince  of  Peace. 

6.  The  Men's  Missionary   Society,  and  the  Busi- 
ness Men's  League. 

It  is  one  of  the  unmistakable  signs  of  the  progress 
of  the  Kingdom  that  in  every  well  organized  con- 
gregation we  now  have  Men's  Clubs.  In  the  country 
congregation  of  a  generation  ago,  the  question  was 
how  to  break  up  the  horse-shed  class.  Later,  during 
the  years  of  my  pastorate,  I  frequently  heard  it  asked 
why  we  could  not  have  missionary  organizations  of 
men  as  well  as  of  women,  and  there  seemed  to  be  no 
reason  except  that  the  women  managed  their  affairs 
better  without  the  men.  In  fact  they  still  originate 
and  carry  out  plans  which  the  men  are  staggered  to 


THE  MISSIONARY  SOCIETIES  149 

think  of.  But  gradually  the  men  of  the  church  have 
been  awakened  to  their  opportunities;  there  are  busi- 
ness men's  leagues  for  "financiering  the  kingdom"; 
men's  auxiliary  missionary  societies ;  civic  leagues ; 
law  and  order  societies;  and  in  fact  every  proposed 
reform  now  has  a  solid  organization  among  the  men 
of  the  Church.  Among  our  own  people  the  working 
congregations  are  organizing  the  men,  and  many  of 
you  will  find,  as  young  pastors,  a  strong  working 
force  in  these  organizations.  Here  lies  your  oppor- 
tunity. 

The  pastor  should  consider  that  his  pastoral  over- 
sight extends  to  all  forms  of  organization  in  the  con- 
gregation. Nothing  is  beyond  his  responsibility  or 
beneath  his  notice. 

II 
The  Uses  of  the  Missionary  Society. 

What  is  said  on  this  point  will  have  special  refer- 
ence to  the  Woman's  Missionary  Society  and  can  be 
applied  to  the  others  according  to  their  circumstances. 

I.     It  is  an  organization  for  prayer. 

Formerly  this  occupied  but  a  small  place  in  the 
"Female  Missionary  Society,"  for  there  were  but  few 
women  who  would  consent  to  lead  in  public  prayer. 
Now  the  missionary  society  is,  first  of  all,  a  woman's 
prayer-meeting.  Speaking  of  the  importance  of  this, 
Murphy  says :  "The  influence  of  such  a  stated  meet- 
ing of  devout  women  for  prayer  and  spiritual  confer- 
ence will  most  undoubtedly  tell  upon  the  piety  and 
progress  of  the  Church.  .  .  .  Unseen,  and  perhaps 
unnoticed,  may  be  those  little  assemblies,  but  not  un- 
felt  will  be  their  blessed  results."  They  will  tell  upon 
the  preaching  and  upon  the  Sabbath  School,  upon  the 
cause  of  missions,  and  upon  the  bringing  in  of  revivals 
of  religion. 


I50  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

2.  As  a  pastor's  aid  society. 

Many  congregations  have  organizations  with  this  ob- 
ject and  called  by  this  name,  but  this  is  really  a  depart- 
ment of  missionary  society  work.  The  work  would 
be  such  as  the  following: 

a.  Visiting  new  families  coming  into  the  bounds 
of  the  congregation. 

b.  Seeking  out  those  without  a  Church  home. 

c.  Reclaiming  the  disaffected  and  the  negligent. 

d.  Bringing  scholars  into  the  Sabbath  School. 

e.  Promoting    peace     and     sociability     in     the 
church. 

Murphy  says:  "Women  have  the  piety,  they  have 
the  feeling,  they  have  the  tact,  they  more  generally 
have  the  time  to  do  such  work;  and  hence  they  do  it 
more  efficiently  than  men.  There  are  some  parts  of 
Church  work  they  can  do  better  than  even  the  pastor. 
They  can  reach  families,  especially  the  female  portion 
of  them,  as  the  other  sex  cannot.  They  can  follow 
up  impressions  that  are  made,  cultivate  the  acquaint- 
ance of  strangers,  and  persevere  in  efforts  to  interest 
them  in  the  Church  and  her  ordinances  as  men  cannot 
or  will  not." 

3.  As  a  benevolent  society. 

Dorcas  gave  her  name  to  this  department  of  woman's 
work,  and  Dorcas  Societies  have  long  been  known  in 
the  Church.  But  this,  again,  is  only  a  department  of 
missionary  society  work. 

a.  Making  garments  for  the  poor. 

b.  Clothing  children  for  the  Sabbath  School. 

c.  Sending  missionary  boxes  to  the  various  mis- 
sion fields. 

Such  has  been  a  most  important  branch  of  mission- 
ary society  effort.  This  is  applied  Christianity,  and 
some  who  have  not  been  able  to  contribute  large  sums 
of  money  to  the  mission  cause  have  given  in  time  and 
skill  what  has  been  of  very  great  value. 


THE  MISSIONARY  SOCIETIES  151 

4.  In  the  care  and  keeping  of  the  church  building. 
Perhaps  a  majority  of  the  churches  in  our  body 

have  been  furnished  with  carpets  and  with  pulpit 
furniture,  and  some  even  with  pews,  by  the  missionary 
society;  and  you  will  find  as  pastors  that  it  frequently 
happens  that,  when  men  cannot  be  moved  to  clean  and 
paint  and  fresco  the  church,  the  women  will  come 
to  your  assistance  through  the  missionary  society. 

5.  As  a  direct  missionary  agent  in  the  congrega- 
tion. 

a.  In  cultivating  the  missionary  spirit. 

The  missionary  societies  secure  missionary  sermons 
and  lectures,  keep  up  correspondence  with  mission 
fields,  hold  farewell  meetings  for  missionaries  going 
out  and  meetings  of  welcome  to  missionaries  return- 
ing home.  No  one  but  Jesus  knows  what  these  noble 
women  have  done  to  fire  the  Church  with  missionary 
zeal,  and  to  comfort  the  heart  of  His  servants,  the 
missionaries ;  but  the  missionaries  testify  somewhat  to 
the  value  of  their  works  of  faith  and  labors  of  love. 

b.  In  employing  city  missionaries. 

In  many  of  our  city  congregations  it  is  the  Woman's 
Missionary  Society  that  originates  and  sustains  the 
city  mission.  It  may  be  said  that,  after  all,  the  men 
have  to  provide  the  means.  That  is  only  partially 
true;  and,  even  so,  it  is  the  women  that  supply  the 
spirit,  and  courage,  and  heart. 

c.  By  organizing  the  sewing  school. 

A  very  common  branch  of  this  local  missionary 
effort  is  the  organizing  of  schools  for  the  training  of 
girls  to  sew.  It  calls  for  consecrated  womanhood  to 
carry  on  this  toilsome,  and  sometimes  thankless,  work. 

d.  By  combining  the  mother's  meeting,  the  sew- 
ing circle,  the  gospel  service  and  charity. 

There  is  a  plan  of  missionary  work  carried  on  by 
the  women  of  the  Second  New  York  congregation 
which  I  wish  to  bring  to  your  attention.     It  is  this: 


152  THE  PEOPLE  AT  WORK 

The  women  of  the  missionary  society  provide  large 
quantities  of  materials  for  the  manufacture  of  cloth- 
ing. They  invite  poor  women  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  church,  or  connected  with  the  children  of  the 
Sabbath  School,  to  meet  in  the  sewing  room  in  the 
church,  and  there  they  meet  with  them  and  cut  out 
useful  garments  for  the  families  of  such  as  can  be 
present,  and  direct  them  in  the  making.  While  the 
sewing  goes  on,  the  women  of  the  society  mingle  with 
those  brought  in,  conversing  as  in  a  mother's  meeting. 
If  the  pastor,  or  any  other  minister,  comes  in  to  talk 
with  them,  they  stop  work  for  ten  or  twenty  minutes 
and  listen  to  him.  When  the  work  is  done,  the  poor 
women  take  the  garments  which  they  have  made  with 
them,  and  they  carry  away  hearts  comforted  and 
helped  by  this  Christian  fellowship  and  sym.pathy. 
Such  a  method  combines  many  elements  of  helpful- 
ness. 

6.  Raising  funds  for  the  different  schemes  of  the 
church. 

An  examination  of  the  various  treasurers'  reports 
will  show  that  women's  missionary  societies  are  doing 
a  marvelous  work  in  raising  funds  for  the  church. 
No  good  work  appeals  in  vain  to  these  devoted 
women. 


Ill 

The  Duty  of  the  Pastor  to  the  Missionary  Societies. 

I.  He  should  not  interfere  obtrusively  in  their 
work. 

The  pastor  may  make  himself  a  nuisance  to  the 
missionary  societies  by  attending  all  their  meetings 
and  undertaking  to  shape  all  their  plans.  This  is 
worse  than  to  discourage  by  neglect. 


THE  MISSIONARY  SOCIETIES  153 

2.  He  should  visit  them  occasionally  to  encourage 
by  his  words. 

A  brief  call  once  in  a  while  to  manifest  interest 
and  sympathy  and  to  assure  them  of  how  much  they 
aid  him  in  his  work  will  be  appreciated. 

3.  He  should  promote  the  upbuilding  of  the  so- 
ciety. 

a.  By  encouraging  members  to  join. 

b.  By  remembering  them  in  his  public  prayers. 

c.  By  special  sermons  on  their  behalf. 

d.  By  enforcing  their  claims  for  assistance  upon 
the  congregation. 

It  was  the  custom  of  our  congregation  to  devote 
the  collection  of  Sabbath  evening  after  communion 
to  the  missionary  society.     It  was  a  good  plan. 

4.  He  should  consult  with  them  in  regard  to  plans 
of  work. 

This  will  be  necessary  if  they  are  to  fill  the  place 
of  Pastor's  Aid  Society  and  Benevolent  Society.  He 
will  often  find  among  the  godly  women  of  his  flock 
his  safest  and  wisest  counselors,  his  most  loyal  sup- 
porters and  his  most  devoted  workers. 

5.  He  should  respond  cheerfully  to  their  calls  for 
assistance. 

The  busy  pastor  is  apt  to  become  impatient  under 
frequent  interruption  of  his  studies.  Cultivate  the 
habit  of  doing  cheerfully  and  not  grudgingly.  Re- 
member Paul's  words,  ''Help  those  women."  (Philip, 
iv,  3.) 


PART  II 

THE    PASTOR 

IN    RELATION   TO   THE    CHURCH 

COURTS 


PART  II 

LECTURE  XVI 

THE  PASTOR  IN  THE  SESSION 

The  general  subject  of  the  lectures  in  Pastoral 
Theology  for  this  part  of  the  seminary  year  will  be 
The  Pastor  in  His  Relation  tO'  the  Church 
Courts.  The  subject  of  to-day's  lecture  is  The 
Pastor  in  the  Session. 


The  Pastor  of  the  Congregation  is,  Ex  Officio,   the 
Moderator  of  the  Session. 

1.  Because  the  office  of  the  ministry  is,  in  its 
nature,  superior  to  the  office  of  the  eldership. 

It  is  admitted  that  there  is  parity  of  ruling  power 
vested  in  ministers  and  ruling  elders.  But  there  is 
not  parity  of  office. 

This   is   evident : 

a.  Because    the   minister's    ordination    to    office 
is  by  a  higher  court. 

Ministers  are  ordained  by  presbytery,  elders  by 
session  or  presbytery. 

b.  There  is  difference  in  the  form  of  ordination. 
The  minister  is  ordained  by  the  imposition  of  the 

hands  of  ministers  only;  ruling  elders  by  the  imposi- 
tion of  the  hands  of  both  ministers  and  elders. 

The    Book    of    Discipline    makes    this    distinction 
157 


158       PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

clear:  ''The  power  of  ordering  the  whole  work  of 
ordination  is  in  the  whole  presbytery.  Every  minis- 
ter of  the  Word  is  to  be  ordained  by  the  imposition 
of  hands  and  prayer,  with  fasting,  by  those  preach- 
ing presbyters  to  whom  it  doth  belong."  Again: 
''Preaching  presbyters  orderly  associated  either  in 
cities  or  in  neighboring  villages  are  those  to  whom 
the  imposition  of  hands  doth  appertain  for  those  con- 
gregations within  their  bounds." — Book  of  Discipline^ 
pp.  45;  46-4;  47-10;  52-8;  106-4,  5- 

c.     They  differ  as  to  the  court  before  which  they 
can  be  brought  for  trial. 

A  minister  cannot  be  placed  on  trial  before  a  ses- 
sion, but  an  elder  can  be. 

Dr.  Hodge,  in  his  Church  Polity,  says:  "Where 
an  elder  is  to  be  tried,  he  is  arraigned  before  the  ses- 
sion; but  process  against  a  gospel  minister  must  al- 
ways be  entered  before  the  presbytery.  Why  is  this, 
but  that  a  man  is  to  be  tried  by  his  peers?  If  so, 
then  the  elders  are  not  the  peers  of  the  minister ;  they 
are  not  officially  his  equals." — Hodge's  Church  Polity, 
p.  275;  U.  P.  Government  and  Discipline,  p.  600; 
Art.  n,   i;  Art.  HI,   i. 

2.     In    vacant   congregations,    presbytery    appoints 
a  minister  to  moderate  the  session. 

If  a  session  had  power  to  elect  its  own  moderator 
and  to  choose  one  of  the  elders  to  the  place  instead 
of  the  pastor,  then  there  could  be  no  occasion  for 
elders  in  a  vacant  congregation  applying  to  presbytery 
to  supply  them  with  a  moderator  in  order  that  they 
might  constitute  for  business.  Book  of  Discipline, 
page  122,  Rule  6,  says:  "A  certificate  shall  be 
deemed  regular  when  signed  by  the  moderator  and 
clerk  of  session ;  or  when  signed  by  a  majority  of  the 
elders,  if  a  congregation  be  vacant,  and  there  has 
been  no  opportunity  to  make  an  appointment  in  con- 
stituted  session."     This   clearly   implies   that,   where 


THE  PASTOR  IN  THE  SESSION        159 

there  is  no  pastor,  the  elders  have  no  power  to  con- 
stitute the  session.  The  vacant  congregation  receives 
its  moderator  at  the  hands  of  the  presbytery. 

3.  Presbyterian  law  recognizes  the  pastor  as  ex 
officio  moderator  of  the  session. 

The  Form  of  Church  Government  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  says :  "The  pastor  of  the  congregation 
shall  always  be  the  moderator  of  the  session,  except 
when  for  prudential  reasons  it  may  appear  advisable 
that  some  other  minister  should  be  invited  to  pre- 
side; in  which  case  the  pastor  may,  with  the  con- 
currence of  the  session,  invite  such  other  minister  as 
they  may  see  meet,  belonging  to  the  same  presbytery, 
to  preside  in  the  case.  The  same  expedient  may  be 
adopted  in  the  case  of  the  sickness  or  absence  of  the 
pastor." — Presh.  Form  of  Govt.,  Chap.  IX,  Sec.  3. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  has,  in  one  or  more  in- 
stances, chosen  a  ruling  elder  to  preside  in  its  Gen- 
eral Assembly ;  but  it  lays  it  down  in  express  terms  in 
its  Book  of  Government  that  the  pastor  shall  always 
be  the  moderator  of  the  session,  with  an  exception 
made  in  such  terms  as  to  strengthen  the  rule. 

That  this  is  regarded  as  ex  officio  is  made  more 
evident  by  a  concrete  case,  as  follows: 

The  Presbytery  of  Erie  memorialized  the  assem- 
bly, presenting  this  question:  ''When  a  minister  has 
accepted  a  call  to  a  congregation,  said  call  having  been 
placed  in  his  hands  by  the  presbytery,  is  he,  ex  officio, 
moderator  of  the  session  of  that  congregation  previous 
to  his  installation?" 

Evidently  the  presbytery  of  Erie  had  no  doubt  as 
to  his  relation  after  his  installation,  and  they  supposed 
that  it  might  even  belong  to  him  as  pastor-elect,  while 
awaiting  installation. 

The  committee  to  which  the  question  was  referred 
recommended  the  following  answer:  "A  pastor- 
elect  is  not  moderator,  ex  officio,  as  he  has  no  official 


i6o       PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

connection  with  that  church,  but  he  may  become 
moderator  (if  he  is  a  member  of  that  presbytery 
under  whose  care  the  church  is)  by  invitation  of  the 
session  or  by  appointment  of  presbytery." 

In  adopting  this  recommendation,  the  general  as- 
sembly decided  that  a  pastor-elect  is  not,  ex  officio, 
moderator  of  the  session,  but  a  pastor  installed  is. 
See  Moore's  Digest,  pp.  481-482. 

The  Book  of  Government  and  Discipline  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  Church  is  specific  on  this  point. 

It  says :  '*The  pastor  of  the  congregation  is  the 
standing  moderator  of  the  session." — U.  P.  Govt,  and 
Discipline,  Chapter  I,  Art.  V,  Sec.  2. 

This  is  sufficient  to  show  that  this  is  Presbyterian 
law,  on  well-established  principles;  and  while  it  is 
not  expressed  in  such  explicit  terms  in  our  Book  of 
Government,  it  is  necessarily  implied  and  has  always 
been  observed  as  common  law. 

When,  therefore,  in  the  good  providence  of  God, 
you  are  inducted  into  the  pastoral  relation,  you  are 
to  assume  at  once  your  position  as  moderator  of  its 
session.  It  would  only  be  an  element  of  weakness 
to  submit  your  official  position  to  the  vote  of  the 
session  when  you  had  already  received  it  from  the 
hand  of  the  presbytery. 

II 

The  Duties  of  the  Pastor  as  Moderator  of  Session. 

I.     To  convene  the  session. 

If  the  session  adjourns  without  fixing  a  time  and 
place  for  meeting,  it  is  the  duty  of  the  moderator  to 
convene  the  court  when  necessary.  *'A  session  is  not 
dissolved  though  it  adjourns  without  determining  on 
a  future  meeting.  A  meeting  of  the  session  is  always 
in  order  at  the  call  of  the  moderator,  and  this  may 


THE  PASTOR  IN  THE  SESSION        i6i 

be   made   by  public   intimation   or  by   notice   sent  to 
each  member." — Book  of  Discipline,  pp.  99,  100. 

No  one  except  the  moderator  has  power  to  issue  a 
call  for  a  meeting  of  session. 

The  law  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  as  to  a  quorum 
is,  that  "two  elders,  if  there  be  as  many  in  a  congre- 
gation, shall  be  necessary  to  constitute  a  quorum." — 
Form  of  Govt.,  Chap.  IX,  Art.  2.  This  seems  to 
imply  that,  however  large  the  session  may  be,  two 
elders  and  the  pastor  constitute  a  quorum;  but,  if 
there  be  only  two  elders,  they  must  both  be  present; 
if  there  be  but  one  elder  in  the  congregation,  he,  with 
the  pastor,  will  have  power  to  transact  business. 
The  United  Presbyterian  Book  provides  that  "in  all 
ordinary  cases,  two  elders  with  a  minister,  or  three 
elders  in  the  absence  of  a  minister,  shall  be  necessary 
to  constitute  a  quorum." — Govt,  and  Discipline, 
Chap.  V,  Art.   I,   Sec.  7. 

2.     To  constitute  the  session. 

Church  courts  act  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  and  by  His  authority.  When  the  hour  arrives 
at  which  the  session  has  been  called  to  meet,  the 
pastor,  in  the  chair,  rises  promptly  and  announces 
that  "the  hour  has  come  to  constitute  the  session,  and 
the  members  will  come  to  order."  He  then  en- 
gages in  prayer  constituting  the  court,  in  substance 
as  follows : 

"Be  present  with  us,  O  Lord,  and  bless  us  as  a 
court  of  Thy  house,  when  in  the  name  and  by  the 
authority  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  only  King 
and  Head  of  the  Church,  we  constitute  ourselves  into 
a  juridical  capacity  as  we  hereby  do." 

The  exact  formula  of  words  is  not  essential,  but 
it  is  important  that  the  court  shall  be  formally  consti- 
tuted in  the  name  of  Christ. 

The  court  is  also  adjourned  by  a  like  form.  This 
is  sometimes  done  by  an  elder.     So  important  is  this 


i62       PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

act  of  constituting  and  adjourning  the  court  by  prayer, 
that  it  must  be  noted  in  the  minutes  of  every  meeting 
that  it  was  so  done ;  and  any  failure  to  so  record,  sub- 
jects the  minutes  to  criticism  by  the  higher  court  as 
being  "contrary  to  the  law  and  order  of  the  Church." 
— Book  of  Discipline,  p.  98. 

The  pastor's  further  duties  as  moderator  are: 

3.  To  state  the  business  before  the  court. 

4.  To  keep  the  members  to  the  question. 

5.  To  maintain  order. 

6.  To  decide  points  of  order,  but  not  questions  of 
law. 

7.  If  requested,  to  sum  up  the  argument  before 
taking  a  vote. 

8.  To  vote  on  a  call  of  the  ayes  and  noes. 

9.  To  give  the  casting  vote  when  the  ayes  and  noes 
are  equal. 

Ill 

The  Order  of  Business  in  Session. 

1.  The  calling  of  the  roll  by  the  clerk. 

2.  Devotional  exercises. 

Not  all  sessions  hold  devotional  exercises  regularly, 
but  many  do  so,  and  with  profit. 

3.  Unfinished  business. 

It  is  the  duty  of  the  clerk  of  session  to  have  a  re- 
port of  the  items  of  unfinished  business  ready  to  place 
in  the  hands  of  the  moderator  at  the  opening  of  the 
meeting.  This  he  makes  up  from  the  records  in  his 
hands.  The  report  on  unfinished  business  will  in- 
clude: (a)  Reports  of  all  special  committees  previ- 
ously appointed;  (b)  Special  items  referred  to  the 
standing  committees;  (c)  Items  of  business  left  un- 
finished at  former  meetings.  If  business  once  insti» 
tuted  is  passed  over  for  one  or  two  meetings,  see  that 


THE  PASTOR  IN  THE  SESSION        163 

the  fact  is  noted  in  the  records  of  each  meeting,  so 
that  it  may  not  be  lost  sight  of. 

4.  New  business. 

This  includes  the  reports  of  standing  committees, 
and  anything  which  these  may  bring  forward  for  ac- 
tion. Any  member  of  session  is  entitled  to  present 
new  business.  It  is  the  special  duty  of  the  modera- 
tor to  see  that  nothing  requiring  attention  is  over- 
looked. He  should  make  a  note  of  matters  as  they 
occur  to  him  and  bring  them  forward  at  a  suitable 
opportunity. 

5.  Adjournment  by  motion  and  with  prayer. 

IV 

General  Rules  for  the  Guidance  of  the  Moderator. 

1.  He  should  recognize  that  each  elder  is  equal 
to  himself  in  ruling  power. 

The  fact  that  the  pastor  is,  ex  oificio,  moderator  of 
the  session  does  not  change  the  other  important  fact 
that  he  has  no  superiority  in  ruling  power  over  the 
elders.  It  is  very  offensive  to  independent  men  if 
the  moderator  in  any  arbitrary  way  attempts  to  con- 
trol the  action  of  the  court.  Elders  have  their  re- 
sponsibility as  rulers  in  the  house  of  God  and  must 
be  upheld  in  their  rights. 

2.  If  the  moderator  has  settled  convictions  as  to 
the  decision  which  ought  to  be  reached,  he 
should  use  discretion  to  prevent  elders  from 
taking  grounds  against  him. 

It  is  often  difficult  even  for  good  men  to  yield 
when  once  they  have  declared  their  position.  The 
tact  of  a  pastor  is  displayed  in  preventing  them  from 
getting  into  an  attitude  of  antagonism  toward  him- 
self or  toward  one  another.  Occasionally  you  find 
two  members  of  session  who  are  constitutionally  op- 


i64       PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

posed  to  each  other.  Whatever  one  proposes,  the 
other  instinctively  opposes.  In  such  cases,  the  pas- 
tor needs  to  have  the  skill  that  disposes.  If  the  op- 
position is  toward  himself,  he  may  control  the  com- 
bative members  the  way  the  wife  manages  her 
husband,  i.  e.,  by  seeming  to  give  up  to  him,  while 
she  gently  leads  him  her  way. 

3.  The  pastor  must  not  exceed  his  authority  in 
opposing  what  he  feels  to  be  wrong,  but  yield 
to  the  decision  of  the  majority. 

4.  If  the  case  is  one  in  which  he  cannot  conscien- 
tiously yield,  he  may  request  them  to  ask  ad- 
vice from  presbytery ;  or  he  may  enter  his 
protest  against  the  action  of  session  on  the  rec- 
ords. This  brings  it  to  the  attention  of  pres- 
bytery in  its  review  of  the  records. 

5.  There  may  be  cases  where  fidelity  will  compel 
him  to  complain  to  presbytery  of  the  action 
of  his  session. 

Dr.  Thomas  Sproull  gave  the  following  advice: 
"When  there  is  likely  to  be  a  difference  of  opinion 
in  session,  and  the  moderator's  mind  is  made  up,  it 
is  often  best  for  him  to  give  his  view  first  and  then 
call  on  the  one  most  likely  to  agree  with  him,  and 
then  the  next  most  favorable,  thus  shaping  the  course 
to  harmony." 

The  strength  of  the  Covenanter  Church  lies  in  her 
eldership,  but  it  takes  a  wise  pastor  to  direct  that 
strength  in  a  straight  line. 


LECTURE  XVII 

THE  RECEPTION   OF   MEMBERS 

Having  spoken  of  the  relation  of  the  pastor  to 
the  session,  and,  in  general,  of  duties  which  belong 
to  him  as  moderator,  it  follows,  naturally,  to  con- 
sider the  several  departments  of  sessional  business 
in  which  the  pastor  is  called  upon  to  bear  a  leading 
part.  First  among  these  is  the  reception  of  members 
into  the  Church,  and  this  will  be  the  subject  of  to- 
day's lecture. 


The  Different  Classes  of  Applicants,  and  Hozu  Each 
Class  is  to  be  Received. 

I.     Members  from  sister  congregations  of  our  own 
Church  are  received  by  a  motion  to  accept  the 
certificate  and  place  the  name  on  the  roll. 
a.     Certificates,  to  be  regular,  must  have  the  sig- 
nature  of   the   moderator   and   clerk   of    the 
session  issuing  the  same. 
The    regular   form    of   certificate   is    found   in   the 
Book  of  Discipline,  p.   134.     It  reads  as  follows: 

''This  certifies  that  A.  B.  has,  till  this  date,  been  a 
member  of  the  Reformed   Presbyterian  congregation 

of  ;  is  in  good  standing  in  the  Church,  and  free 

of  all  grounds  of  censure  as  far  as  is  known  to  us; 
and  is  hereby  dismissed  at  his  (or  her)  own  request, 

to  be  united  with  the  congregation  of . 

165 


i66       PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

"Certified  by   order   of   session,   this   day  of 

,  19—. 

"Moderator,  .     Clerk,  — ."  _ 

When  an  applicant  presents  a  certificate  in  this 
form,  all  that  is  necessary  is  that  a  motion  be  made 
to  accept  the  certificate  and  place  the  name  of  the 
applicant  on  the  roll  of  members  of  the  congregation. 
It  is  not  essential  that  the  applicant  be  present. 

b.  If  a  length  of  time  has  elapsed  since  the  is- 
sue of  the  certificate,  inquiry  should  be  made 
as  to  the  cause  of  delay  in  presenting  it. 

c.  A  member  from  a  sister  congregation  should 
not  be  received  without  a  certificate. 

This  is  a  matter  of  good  order  and  of  respect 
due  to  the  session  from  whose  care  the  member 
comes. 

d.  If  the  certificate  is  not  at  hand,  the  party 
may  be  admitted  to  communion  while  await- 
ing the  certificate. 

In  that  case,  he  communes  simply  as  a  visitor  from 
a  sister  congregation. 

e.  Circumstances  may  arise  where  an  applicant 
whose  certificate  has  been  delayed  should  be 
admitted  to  membership  with  the  understand- 
ing that  the  certificate  will  be  secured. 

In  such  case,  the  facts  should  be  noted  on  the  min- 
utes; and,  when  the  certificate  is  received,  that  fact 
should  also  be  noted.  Such  a  case  may  occur  in  or- 
ganizing a  new  congregation. 

f.  If  the  certificate  contains  any  exceptions  to 
the  good  standing  of  the  applicant,  the  session 
must  investigate  the  case  before  admitting 
the  candidate. — Book  of  Discipline,  pp.  62 — 
2;  63 — 6. 

g.  In  all  cases,  the  record  should  contain  the  full 
name  of  the  applicant  and  of  the  congregation 
from  which  he  comes. 


THE  RECEPTION  OF  MEMBERS        167 

h.     If   the  member  received  be  the  head   of   a 
family,  it  is  well  to  record  the  names  of  all 
the   minor   children   of   the   family   who   are 
not  yet  in  full  communion. 
The  reason  for  this  is  that  God  includes  children 
with  their  parents  in  the  Church  covenant;  and  when 
the  parents  are  received  the  children  are  also  taken 
under  the  care  of  the  session  and  should  be  enrolled, 
as  connected  with  the  flock.     Their  names  cannot  ap- 
pear on  the  roll  of  communicants,  but  may  very  prop- 
erly appear  in  the  minutes  of  session. 

2.  Applicants  from  sister  denominations  are  re- 
ceived by  certificate  and  examination. — Book  of 
Discipline,  p.  62 — 2. 

a.  The  applicant  should  meet  with  the  session. 
In  the  case  of  members  from  our  own  Church,  this 

is  not  essential  (though  desirable)  if  the  certificate 
be  regular;  but  in  all  other  cases  the  candidate  must 
appear  before  the  session. 

b.  The  certificate  of  any  evangelical  denomina- 
tion covers  all  the  points  of  agreement  be- 
tween that  denomination  and  our  own. 

c.  The  examination  of  the  applicant  should 
cover  all  the  points  of  difference. 

For  instance,  an  applicant  from  the  Reformed  Pres- 
byterian Church,  General  Synod,  would  be  examined 
on  the  position  of  political  dissent  and  the  use  of 
instruments  in  the  worship  of  God;  a  United  Presby- 
terian, on  dissent,  instrumental  music,  and  secret 
orders ;  a  Presbyterian,  on  the  same,  and  also  on  the 
use  of  uninspired  songs  in  worship,  and  on  open 
communion;  a  Methodist,  in  addition  to  all  these, 
would  be  examined  on  Calvinistic  doctrines  and 
church  government;  and  a  Baptist  on  the  mode  of 
baptism  also,  and  the  right  of  infants  to  be  baptized. 

d.  An  applicant  from  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church  requires  to  be  rebaptized. 


i68       PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

Our  Church  recognizes  the  validity  of  the  baptism 
of  all  evangelical  churches,  including  those  baptized 
by  immersion,  but  rejects  Romanism  as  an  anti- 
Christian  system,  and  denies  the  validity  of  its  ordi- 
nances. 

3.  Applicants  who  are  baptized  members  of  any 
evangelical  church  are  received  into  full  com- 
munion on  examination  and  profession  of 
their   faith. 

Children  of  professing  parents  are  born  in  the 
Church  and  are  entitled  to  the  initiatory  rite  of  bap- 
tism. To  speak  of  persons  already  baptized  in  our 
Church  as  ''joining  the  Church"  when  they  are  re- 
ceived into  full  communion,  is  not  strictly  correct  and 
is  productive  of  error,  because  it  leads  such  persons 
to  regard  themselves  as  free  from  all  covenant  ob- 
ligations until  they  make  a  public  profession.  The 
truth  is,  that  they  are  children  of  the  covenant,  and, 
if  they  refuse  or  neglect  to  make  a  public  profession, 
they  despise  their  birthright  and  become  covenant- 
breakers. 

N.  B. — The  record  as  to  their  reception  should  dif- 
fer from  that  taken  in  from  the  world.  It  should 
state  distinctly  that  they  were  baptized  members  of 
the  Church,  and  were  admitted  into  full  communion 
on  examination  and  profession  of  their  faith. 

4.  Converts  from  the  world  are  received  on  ex- 
amination, and  profession  of  faith,  and  by  bap- 
tism. 

This  of  course  refers  to  those  who  have  never 
been  baptized  in  any  evangelical  Church.  Valid  bap- 
tism is  not  to  be  repeated. — Book  of  Discipline,  page 

The  examination  of  those  received  from  the  world 
is  the  same  as  that  of  children  born  in  the  Church, 
with  the  exception  made  in  the  Book  of  Discipline, 
page  63,  which  reads:     "The  measure  of  knowledge 


THE  RECEPTION  OF  MEMBERS        169 

necessary  for  admission  depends,  in  some  degree,  on 
the  capacity  and  opportunities  of  improvement  which 
the  applicant  may  possess;  but  no  one  should  be  ad- 
mitted who  is  ignorant  of  the  first  principles  of  the 
system  of  grace,  or  holds  any  sentiments  contrary  to 
the  declaration  and  testimony  of  this  Church." — Book 
of  Discipline,  p.  63 — 4. 

This  statement  meets,  and  completely  answers,  the 
objection  so  often  heard  that  our  Church  maintains 
such  a  high  standard  that  it  is  impossible  to  bring 
in  converts  from  the  world.  The  session  is  not  re- 
quired to  maintain  a  high  standard  of  knowledge  and 
to  enforce  a  fixed  rule  as  to  attainments,  regardless 
of  the  circumstances  and  opportunities  of  the  appli- 
cant.    The  absolute  requirements  are  simply  two. 

(i)   They  shall   admit  no  one  "who  is  ignorant 

of  the  first  principles  of  the  system  of  grace." 

(2)   They   shall   admit   no  one   "who  holds   any 

sentiments   contrary   to   the   declaration   and 

testimony  of  this  Church." 

Who  would  ask  anything  broader  than  that?    How 

reasonable  are  such  requirements ! 

5.     May   one   be   admitted   to   membership   in   our 

Church    who    does    not    fully    endorse    all    the 

Church's  positions? 

For  reply  to  this  question,  see  Testimony,  Chapter 

xxii,  Sec.  2,  Error  6;  Book  of  Discipline,  p.  63,  Sec.  4. 

A  study  of  these  passages  will  reveal  the  following 

principles : 

a.     The     candidate     should     be     sufficiently     ac- 
quainted with  the  doctrines  and  usages  of  the 
Church  to  intelligently  endorse  them. 
The  Book  of  Discipline  says:     "Every  one  who  is 
able   to   read   and   to  understand  the   terms   of  com- 
munion and  the  documents  to  which  they  refer,  must 
give  evidence  that  he  has  diligently  read  and  that  he 
doth  approve  them."     The  formal  act  of  having  read 


170       PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

the  documents  is  not  absolutely  essential,  provided 
the  candidate  is  in  possession  of  the  necessary  knowl- 
edge. 

b.  A  candidate  should  not  be  received  into  the 
Church,  who,  being  acquainted  with  her  posi- 
tion, is  conscientiously  opposed  to  any  of 
her  doctrines  or  usages. 

The  Testimony  specifically  condemns  it  as  an  er- 
ror, "that  any  person  may  be  admitted  to  communion 
who  opposes  any  of  the  terms  of  Church  fellowship." 
Testimony,  Chap,  xxii,  Error  6. 

This  is  manifestly  right.  Church  vows  are  of  the 
nature  of  a  covenant  with  God,  and  no  one  can  sin- 
cerely covenant  with  God  on  a  basis  which  he  regards 
as  contrary  to  God's  word. 

c.  If  a  convert  gives  evidence  of  being  a  true 
believer,  and  an  honest  inquirer  after  the 
truth,  the  session  should  take  into  account 
his  capacities  and  opportunities  in  deciding 
the  question  of  his  admission. 

The  Book  of  Discipline  says:  "The  measure  of 
knowledge  necessary  for  admission  depends,  in  some 
degree,  on  the  capacity  and  opportunities  of  improve- 
ment which  the  applicant  may  possess." 

d.  No  one  should  be  admitted  to  full  commun- 
ion in  the  Church  who  will  not  promise  to 
conform  his  life  to  the  teachings  of  the 
Church  while  making  further  diligent  inquiry 
concerning  their  truth. 

That  any  one  should  claim  the  privilege  of  violat- 
ing his  public  profession  of  faith  on  the  ground  that 
he  is  in  doubt  as  to  its  Scriptural  warrant,  is  absurd. 
If  he  is  in  doubt,  he  must  give  the  Church  whose 
privileges  he  seeks  to  enjoy,  the  benefit  of  the  doubt. 
He  has  no  right  to  live  in  the  practice  of  doubtful 
things  while  professing  obedience  to  Christ. 


THE  RECEPTION  OF  MEMBERS        171 


II 

Hozv  to  Conduct  the  Examination  of  Candidates  for 
Church  Membership. 

1.  Endeavor  to  set  the  candidates  at  ease. 
Unless  you  have  a  vivid  recollection  of  your  own 

experience  in  appearing  before  session,  you  will 
hardly  be  able  to  appreciate  the  extreme  diffidence, 
and  even  dread,  experienced  by  persons,  young  and 
old,  in  appearing  before  the  Church  court  for  exam- 
ination. It  is  well  to  introduce  the  service  with 
kindly  and  assuring  words  calculated  to  secure  pres- 
ence of  mind  and  the  use  of  their  faculties  to  the 
persons  to  be  examined. 

2.  Make  the  examination  simple,  and  on  essential 
gospel  truths. 

It  is  an  entire  mistake  to  suppose  that  the  object 
of  the  service  is  to  measure  the  full  capacity  of  the 
candidates.  It  is  merely  to  determine  whether  they 
have  sufficient  attainments  in  knowledge  and  grace 
to  make  a  credible  profession. 

3.  Examine    carefully   on    the    distinctive   princi- 
ples of  the  Church. 

It  is  important  that  the  profession  be  made  in- 
telligently. A  skillfully  conducted  examination  will 
greatly  assist  those  whose  knowledge  is  imperfect. 
It  is  a  great  mistake  to  pass  lightly  over  points  on 
which  the  mind  of  the  candidate  is  supposed  to  be 
hesitating.  Let  the  moderator,  if  he  formulate  his 
questions  in  such  a  way  as  to  instruct  the  candidate 
what  his  answers  ought  to  be,  see  to  it  that  his  ques- 
tions are  not  being  answered  without  being  under- 
stood; rather,  he  should  let  the  questions  be  so 
clearly  understood  that  a  christian  conscience  cannot 
hesitate  to  answer  correctly. 


172       PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

4.  Deal  tenderly  and  yet  closely  with  them  as  to 
their  religious  experience  and  habits  of  life. 

The  instruction  on  this  point  in  the  Book  of  Dis- 
cipline is  exceedingly  judicious.     It  says: 

''Great  prudence  and  delicacy  are  necessary  in  ex- 
amination of  an  applicant's  piety,  as  no  man  can  as- 
certain whether  another  is  really  a  believer;  but  the 
Church  is  a  holy  generation  and  cannot  consistently 
admit  any  one  evidently  destitute  of  piety,  or  who 
professes  to  be  unregenerate.  Every  member  must 
give  satisfactory  evidence  of  his  living  in  the  practice 
of  secret  prayer  and  family  religion ;  and  must  intel- 
ligently profess  both  respect  for  experimental  godli- 
ness and  acquiescence  in  the  plan  of  salvation  revealed 
in  the  Holy  Scriptures." — Book  of  Discipline,  p.  63. 

Caution  should  be  used  in  questioning  persons  as  to 
their  habits  of  secret  prayer  and  reading  of  the  Bible, 
not  to  tempt  them  to  any  prevarication.  It  would  re- 
quire great  integrity  and  moral  courage  for  a  young 
person  to  confess  his  neglect  of  these  duties  in 
the  presence  of  the  session  after  other  young  per- 
sons had  declared  their  observance  of  them ;  and 
especially  if  their  admission  to  the  Church  was  under- 
stood to  depend  on  their  answering  in  the  affirmative. 
It  is  sometimes  better  to  put  it  in  another  form,  e.  g., 
"Do  you  recognize  the  duty  and  the  privilege  of  secret 
prayer  and  engage  to  attend  diligently  upon  this  means 
of  grace  daily,  morning  and  evening?" 

5.  Make  clear  the  duty  of  a  complete  and  unre- 
served surrender  to  God. 

One,  in  addressing  young  converts,  said:  "Getl 
wholly  into  Christ ;  get  wholly  in ;  you  will  find  it 
hard  to  live  a  Christian  life  if  you  do  not  get 
WHOLLY  IN."  This  truth  should  be  emphasized 
at  such  a  time.  Do  not  permit  applicants  to  rest  in 
the  fact  that  they  are  getting  wholly  into  the  Church 
without  getting  wholly  into  Christ. 


THE  RECEPTION.  OF  MEMBERS        173 

6.  Explain  and  impress  the  nature  of  covenant 
vows  and  obligations. 

There  is  a  fearful  and  alarming  disregard  of  these 
in  the  Church.  The  apparent  ease  with  which  even 
ministers  of  the  Gospel  cast  off  their  vows  to  the 
Church  and  to  Christ  is  a  sad  commentary  on  this 
truth.  An  aged  minister  having  been  sent  by  pres- 
bytery to  inquire  into  difficulties  which  had  arisen  in  a 
certain  congregation  reported  as  follows:  "I  just 
found  two  things  the  matter  with  the  people  of  that 
congregation:  First,  an  utter  disregard  of  their 
covenant  obligations ;  second,  a  doleful  lack  of  grace." 
It  was  a  strong  indictment.  These  two  things  are 
sure  to  go  together. 

7.  Give  the  members  of  session  an  opportunity  to 
advise  and  counsel  the  candidates. 

This  will  come  in  appropriately  on  a  motion  to  re- 
ceive them  into  full  communion,  but  guard  against 
tedious  and  commonplace  exhortations. 

8.  Close  the  service  with  a  brief  prayer  and  as 
moderator  of  the  session,  welcome  the  candi- 
dates with  the  right  hand  of  fellowship. 

9.  A  formal  reception  may  be  given  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  congregation. 

a.  Have  the  candidates  come  forward. 

b.  Propose  to  them  the  terms  of  communion. 

c.  Close   with   a   brief   address   and   give   them 
tokens  of  admission  to  the  Lord's  table. 

10.  Announce  the  names  of  new  members  to  the 
congregation  and  commend  them  to  the  prayers 
and   fellowship   of  the   church. 

An  appropriate  time  is  Saturday  before  the  com- 
munion and  should  include  all  received  since  the 
previous  communion.  May  the  Lord,  through  the 
ministry  of  each  of  you,  add  to  the  Church  daily  such 
as  shall  be  saved. 


LECTURE  XVIII 

THE  ELECTION  OF  OFFICERS 

The  purpose  of  to-day's  lecture  is  to  give  in- 
struction in  conducting  the  election  of  elders  and 
deacons. 


What  is  the  Province  of  the  Session  Prelinvinary  to 
the  Election  of  OMcersf 

I.  To  decide  when  there  shall  be  an  increase  in 
the  number  of  officers,  and  to  determine  the 
number  to  be  chosen. 

A.  The  people  may  petition  the  session  for  an 
election. 

B.  The  board  of  deacons  may  request  the  session 
to  provide  for  an  increase  of  the  board. 

C.  It  belongs  to  the  session  to  decide  upon  the 
necessity  for  an  election. 

D.  In  case  a  session  persistently  declines  to  ar- 
range for  an  election,  a  petition  may  be  pre- 
sented to  presbytery. — Book  of  Discipline,  p. 
103,  Chap.  VII,  Sec.  i,  and  p.  104,  Sec.  4. 

It  requires  great  prudence  on  the  part  of  the  session 
to  determine  when  an  election  of  officers  is  desirable 
or  necessary.  They  should  be  careful  not  to  thwart 
the  right  of  the  people  to  choose  additional  officers, 
and  the  people  should  move  very  cautiously  in  going 
over  the  heads  of  the  session  to  secure  their  supposed 
right  from  presbytery. 

174 


THE  ELECTION  OF  OFFICERS  175 

2.  To  fix  the  time  and  give  sufficient  notice  to 
the  people. 

A.  Usually  it  is  best  to  set  the  time  not  very 
far  ahead. 

The  tendency  is  to  put  forward  candidates  and  to 
engage  in  electioneering,  if  too  much  time  elapses  be- 
tween the  announcement  and  the  election.  Pastors 
generally  prefer  to  have  little  discussion  beforehand, 
and,  for  this  reason,  they  make  the  time  as  short  as 
is  permissible.  However,  we  should  not  err  on  the 
other  extreme. 

B.  About  ten  days  is  a  reasonable  time. 

The  Book  of  Discipline  specifies  ten  days'  notice 
in  case  of  the  election  of  a  pastor,  and  then  says,  as  to 
the  election  of  elders  and  deacons:  "The  same  shall 
be  publicly  intimated  to  the  congregation  a  sufficient 
time  before  the  election  takes  place." — Book  of  Disci- 
pline, p.  103,  Sec.  4.  The  United  Presbyterian  Book 
fixes  the  time  at  ten  days. 

C.  Notice  should  be  given  from  the  pulpit,  or 
in  all  the  societies  in  case  there  is  no  public 
worship. 

3.  The  session  or  any  member  of  the  congregation 
may  propose  the  names  of  candidates  to  the 
people. — Book  of  Discipline,  p.  loi,  5;  and 
104,   6. 

The  Book  provides  that  any  member  in  regular 
standing  may,  on  the  day  of  the  election  of  a  pastor, 
propose  a  candidate,  and  this  seems  to  be  implied  in 
the  case  of  the  election  of  other  officers  where  it  is 
said  that  "as  far  as  applicable,  the  same  rules  shall 
apply  to  them." 

The  United  Presbyterian  Book  says:  "If  the  ses- 
sion has  previously  agreed  upon  suitable  persons,  it 
shall  nominate  them  to  the  congregation;  yet  this 
shall  not  preclude  the  nomination  of  others  by  any 
member  of  the  congregation." 


176       PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

It  is  very  seldom  that  any  of  our  sessions  take  the 
responsibiHty  of  naming  candidates.  When  votes  are 
widely  scattered  they  may  advise  the  people  to  con- 
centrate on  those  receiving  the  highest  vote.  That 
is  about  as  far  as  they  can  venture  to  influence  an 
election.  The  pastor  must  be  exceedingly  careful 
not  to  interfere  in  any  way  with  the  freedom  of 
choice. 

n 

The  Order  of  Exercises  in   Conducting  an  Election 
of   Officers. 

1.  The  pastor  should  preach  an  appropriate  sermon. 
The   following   themes   will   suggest  others   equally 

suitable : 

A.  The  Sacredness  of  the  Church,  her  Institu- 
tions and  Officers. 

B.  The  Qualifications  of  Church  Officers. 

C.  The  Responsibility  of  Electors. 

D.  The  Need  of  Divine  Guidance. 

E.  The  Glory  of  God  the  Supreme  Motive. 
Use  every  effort  to  drive  out  a  spirit  of  levity  or  of 

acrimony  and  to  quicken  the  spiritual  natures  of  the 
people. 

2.  Constitute   the   session. 

The  election  is  held  in  constituted  court.  The 
whole  procedure  is  under  direction  of  the  session. 
Questions  may  arise  which  require  a  judicial  decision. 

3.  Appoint  two  persons  of  respectable  character, 
not  members  of  the  congregation,  to  act  as 
judges. — Book  of  Discipline,  p.   loi.  Sec.  4. 

The  duties  of  the  judges  are : 

A.  Not  to  decide  on  the  voters,  but  on  the  votes. 
The  session  alone   determines  the  qualifications  of 

electors,  and  furnishes  the  list  of  those  qualified  to 
vote. 

B.  One  judge  reads  the  ballots;  the  other  assists 


THE  ELECTION  OF  OFFICERS         177 

the  clerk  of   session  in  keeping  the  tally. — 
Book  of  Discipline,  p.  loi,  2,  Sec.  10. 
C.     The  judges  count  the  votes  and  certify  to  the 
moderator  how  the  vote  stands. 
4.     Take  the  vote. 

A.  The  roll  of  those  entitled  to  vote  is  made  up 
beforehand,  and  consists  of  all  members  in 
full  communion. — Book  of  Discipline,  p.  loi, 
Sec.  8;  p.  102,  Sec.  10. 

The  rule  is  specific.  The  session  should  be  care- 
ful to  have  the  roll  correct  and  complete.  No  one 
is  to  be  permitted  to  vote  who  would  not  be  admitted 
to  the  Lord's  table;  and  no  one  to  be  excluded  who 
would  be  allowed  to  commune,  provided  he  is  a 
member  of  the  congregation. 

B.  Three  ways  are  prescribed  in  which  the  vote 
may  be  taken. 

a.  By   uplifted   hands. 

This  method  supposes  the  nomination  of  candidates 
and  is  seldom  employed,  except  in  cases  where  one 
who  is  already  ordained  is  to  be  chosen  for  installa- 
tion ;  or  in  other  cases  where  the  choice  is  a  foregone 
conclusion  and  the  election  a  mere  formality.  The 
principal  argument  in  favor  of  this  method  is  the 
quickness  with  which  it  can  be  done,  and  this  has 
little  weight  when  compared  with  the  importance  of 
the  service. 

b.  By  calling  the  names  of  the  members. 
This  is  better  than  the  first  method,  but  not  so  good 

as  the  third,  which  is, 

c.  By  ballot. 

The  advantages  of  this  method  are — 

(i)     It  gives   dignity  to  the  service. 

(2)  It  avoids  unnecessary  wounding  of  the 
feelings. 

(3)  By   its   secrecy,   it  gives  greater   free- 
dom to  the  electors. 


178       PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

C.  How  to  conduct  the  ballot. 

a.  Name  one  or  two  tellers  for  each  aisle  of 
the  church  to  collect  the  ballots. 

b.  Let  the  clerk  of  session  call  the  roll  as 
previously  prepared. 

c.  Instruct  the  voters  how  many  names  are 
to  be  placed  on  the  ballot. 

d.  As  each  voter's  name  is  called,  let  the  mem- 
ber rise  and  answer  ''here";  and  the  teller 
nearest,  present  the  ballot  box;  then,  as 
the  ballot  is  deposited,  announce  distinctly 
the  word,  "vote,"  when  the  clerk  of  ses- 
sion checks  off  the  name,  and  the  judges 
tally  the  vote. 

D.  Proxy  votes. 

a.  The  party  sending  a  proxy  vote  should 
prepare  it  himself. 

It  is  not  proper  that  a  member  of  the  family  in 
attendance,  or  any  other,  should  prepare  proxy  votes 
for  absent  members,  even  if  morally  certain  how  the 
absent  one  would  vote  if  present. 

b.  Proxy  votes  should  be  sent  in  sealed  enve- 
lopes. 

c.  The  name  of  the  voter  is  not  to  be  signed 
to  the  ballot,  but  to  be  written  on  the  out- 
side  of   the   envelope. 

The  object  of  this  is  to  identify  the  voter  and  yet 
preserve  the  secrecy  of  the  ballot. 

d.  The  envelope  should  be  addressed  to  the 
session. 

e.  When  the  name  is  called,  the  person  hav- 
ing the  proxy  in  charge  places  it  in  the 
hand  of  the  moderator,  who  takes  it  from 
its  envelope  and,  without  reading  the  bal- 
lot, drops  it  into  the  ballot  box,  announcing 
"proxy  vote."  The  judges  tally  it  on  a 
separate  list  as  a  proxy  vote. 


THE  ELECTION  OF  OFFICERS         179 

f.  Proxy  votes  can  be  counted  only  on  the 
first  ballot. — Book  of  Discipline,  p.  no, 
Sec.  10. 

5.  Count  the  ballots. 

A.  Count  the  ballots  in  the  box  to  see  that  the 
number  corresponds  to  the  tally  sheet. 

B.  One  of  the  judges  reads  the  ballots  aloud  in 
the  hearing  of  the  electors. 

C.  The  other  judge  and  the  clerk  of  session  re- 
cord the  vote. — Book  of  Discipline,  p.  loi, 
Sec.   10. 

6.  Announce  the  result. 

A  majority  ballot  is  necessary  to  a  choice.     The 
usual  method  of  announcing  is — 

A.  The  whole  number  of  ballots  cast. 

B.  The  number  necessary  to  a  choice. 

C.  The  number  received  by  each  candidate. 

D.  The  names  of  those  elected. 
For  example — 

a.  The  whole  number  of  ballots  cast  for 
three  members,  100;  making  300  votes. 

b.  Necessary  to  a  choice,  51,  i.e.,  one  more 
than  half  the  ballot. 

c.  John  Doe  received  90  out  of  the  300; 
Richard  Roe  85 ;  John  Smith  49 ;  the  rest 
scattering;  or  you  may  read  the  number 
to  each  one  in  the  list. 

d.  John  Doe  and  Richard  Roe,  each  having 
received  a  majority  of  the  ballot  are 
duly  elected.  If  no  one  candidate  re- 
ceives a  vote  on  a  majority  of  the  voting 
slips,  the  announcement  will  be :  "No 
candidate  having  received  a  majority, 
there  is  no  election." 

7.  In  case  there  is  no  election,  the  session  deter- 
mines whether  there  shall  be  a  second  ballot. 

8.  Fix  a  time  for  the  examination  of  the  candi- 


i8o       PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

dates-elect,  and,  if  there  is  no  further  business, 
adjourn. 
It  is  not  usually  wise  to  question  the  candidates  as 
to  their  acceptance  just  at  that  time, 

HI 

Contingencies  Which  May  Arise  in  Connection  zvith 
an  Election  of  Officers. 

1.  It  may  be  prudent  for  session,  after  the  first 
ballot,  to  reconsider  their  action  fixing  the  num- 
ber to  be  elected:  either, 

A.  To  stop  with  the  number  elected  on  the  first 
ballot;  or, 

B.  To    increase   the   number    so   as    to    include 
those  whose  votes  are  then  equal  or  nearly  so. 

2.  It  may  be  necessary  to  adjourn  the  election  to 
another  time. 

In  such  cases,  there  must  be  no  ground  for  the 
suspicion  that  the  session,  foreseeing  that  further 
balloting  would  result  in  the  election  of  some  one 
undesirable  to  them,  resorted  to  this  measure  in  order 
to  defeat  the  will  of  the  people. 

3.  The  persons  chosen  may  at  once  decline  to 
serve. 

Usually  it  is  not  best  to  accept  their  declinature  at 
that  time;  because  (a)  they  have  not  sufficiently  con- 
sidered the  matter;  (b)  it  may  be  difficult  to  secure 
others. 

IV 

A  Word  of  Caution. 

Presbyterian  government  is  popular  government. 
See  that  the  will  of  the  people  is  not  defeated.  To 
this  end,  make  sure  that  they  understand  the  method 
of  voting,  and  make  every  effort  to  have  a  full  vote. 


LECTURE  XIX 

THE   ORDINATION   AND   INSTALLATION 
OF  OFFICERS 

The  setting  apart  of  men  to  office  in  the  Church 
of  Christ  is  a  service  of  pecuhar  solemnity,  and  the 
pastor  should  prepare  for  it  with  great  care,  and  con- 
duct the  services  with  gravity  and  decorum. 


Note    the   Distinction   Betzveen    Ordination   and   In- 
stallation. 

1.  Ordination  is  that  ceremony  by  which  the  per- 
sons duly  elected  are  inducted  into  office.  In- 
stallation is  the  act  by  which  the  relation  is 
constituted  between  the  officer  and  the  congre- 
gation. The  first  clothes  the  man  with  office; 
the  second  qualifies  him  to  exercise  his  office 
in  a  particular  field. 

2.  Ordination  of  an  officer  is  never  repeated,  for 
ordination  is  not  made  void  by  the  dissolution 
of  the  relation  constituted  by  installation.  An 
ordained  officer,  when  called  to  office  in  a  new 
field,  is  not  re-ordained,  but  is  installed  anew. 

3.  An  installation  is  conducted  the  same  as  ordi- 
nation and  installation,  with  the  exception  of 
the  act  of  ordination  itself. — Book  of  Disci- 
pline, p.  107,  Sees.  7,  8. 

181 


i82       PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

II 

Exercises  Preliminary  to  Ordination. 

I.     The  examination  of  the  candidates, 
(i)     This  is  done  in  constituted  session. 

In  a  recent  case,  the  review  of  sessional  records 
brought  out  the  fact  that  the  moderator  of  the  ses- 
sion had  examined  the  candidate  at  his  home,  and 
reported  to  session,  and  that  the  examination  was  ap- 
proved. The  presbytery  condemned  this  course  as 
being  "contrary  to  the  law  and  order  of  the  Church." 

The  Book  of  Discipline,  p.  104,  Sec.  5,  says:  "A 
time  is  then  fixed  by  the  session  for  the  examination 
of  the  candidates."  This  clearly  implies  that  the 
session  will  conduct  the  examination. 

The  form  of  the  edict  reads:  "Messrs.  A.,  B., 
etc.,  having  been  chosen  to  the  office  of  ruling  elder 
by  this  congregation,  and  being  examined  by  session 
and  judged  qualified  to  take  the  office,"  etc. — Book 
of  Discipline,  p.   133. 

Furthermore,  the  law  for  the  reception  of  members 
is  specific:  "The  minister  shall  examine  in  the  pres- 
ence and  with  the  help  of  the  elders  of  the  church 
in  a  constituted  session,  all  applicants  for  admission 
to  the  church." — Book  of  Discipline,  p.  63,  Sec.  3. 
No  one  will  say  that  the  examination  for  officers 
should  be  less  formal  and  authoritative  than  the  exam- 
ination  for  membership. 

The  United  Presbyterian  law  is  specific:  "Before 
the  ordination  of  ruling  elders  and  deacons,  the  ses- 
sion shall  meet  to  examine  the  persons  elect  as  to 
their  acceptance  of  the  office,  their  views  in  under- 
taking it,  and  their  qualifications  for  it." — Book  of 
Govt.,  Chap.  VII,  Art.  2,  Sec.  i. 

(2)     What  should  the  examination  include? 
a.     Their  knowledge  of  the  doctrines  of  grace. 


ORDINATION  OF  OFFICERS  183 

This  is  necessary,  especially  in  the  case  of  the 
elders.  Their  duties  include  the  instruction  of  the 
youth,  family  visitation,  the  visitation  of  the  sick, 
the  examination  of  applicants  for  membership :  all 
of  which  require  acquaintance  with  the  truths  of 
Revelation. 

b.  Their  soundness  in  the  faith  and  practices 
of  the  Church. 

It  is  highly  important  that  office-bearers  not  only 
should  know,  but  that  they  should  conscientiously  be- 
lieve, the  doctrines  of  the  Church,  and  approve  of  all 
its  practices.  It  is  a  great  misfortune  to  a  congre- 
gation to  have  officers  who  are  half-hearted  in  their 
profession.  It  is  like  having  disloyal  commanders  in 
an  army.  It  is  likely  to  result  in  a  betrayal  of  the 
cause.  The  examination  should,  therefore,  cover  all 
the  distinctive  principles  of  the  Church. 

c.  Their  Christian  character  and  deportment. 
The  officers  are  to  be  ensamples  to  the  flock;  and 

they  stand  before  the  world  as  chosen  representatives 
of  Christianity.  They  ought  to  be  like  John  the  Bap- 
tist, who  was  "a  burning  and  a  shining  light" ;  burn- 
ing with  zeal,  and  shining  with  purity. 

Under  this  point  comes  the  question  which  Synod 
has  directed  to  be  asked  of  all  candidates  for  office 
in  the  Church :  i.  e.,  Do  you  use  tobacco  ?  Some- 
times the  objection  is  made  that  until  this  is  made  a 
term  of  communion  it  should  not  be  made  a  condition 
of  office.  But  the  objection  is  not  well  founded. 
The  New  Testament  lays  down  a  special  standard  for 
office-bearers  in  the  Church. 

d.  Their  acquaintance  with,  and  qualifications 
for,  the  office  to  which  they  are  to  be  or- 
dained. 

It  is  possible  for  one  to  be  an  intelligent  Christian 
and  living  an  exemplary  life  and  yet  be  deficient  in 
qualities   necessary  to  official  trust.     It  would  be  a 


i84       PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

delicate  matter  to  refuse  ordination  to  one  whom  the 
people  had  chosen,  on  the  ground  that  he  lacked  fit- 
ness for  the  office.  The  examination,  however,  fur- 
nishes an  opportunity  for  imparting  instruction  as  to 
the  duties  of  the  office,  and  this  should  not  be  over- 
looked in  the  examination.  If  it  does  nothing  more 
than  to  reveal  to  the  candidate  his  need  for  greater 
endowments,  and  for  a  careful  study  of  the  nature 
of  the  office  which  he  is  about  to  undertake,  it  will 
have  done  much. 

2.  Fix  a  time  and  place  for  hearing  objections. 
The   session,   having  examined  the  candidates  and 

judged  them  qualified,  is  then  to  give  opportunity  to 
the  people  to  bring  forward  any  reason  known  to 
them,  why  the  ordination  should  not  take  place. 
With  such  exceeding  care  has  the  Church  guarded 
the  rights  of  the  people  as  to  their  rulers. 

A.  The  weight  to  be  attached  to  objections  will 
be  determined — 

a.  By  the  character  and  standing  of  the  ob- 
jectors. 

b.  By  the  nature  of  the  objections. 

c.  By  the   manifest,  or  probable,  motives   in 
presenting   them. 

B.  It  may  be  prudent  for  a  candidate  to  give 
way  to  the  opposition,  even  where  he  does 
not  admit  its  justice. 

3.  Direct  the  edict  to  be  read. 

The  form  of  the  edict  is  found  in  the  Book  of  Disci- 
pline, p.  133.  It  is  the  same  for  elder  and  deacon, 
except  the  name  of  the  office.  It  is  well  to  write  it 
out,  filling  the  blank  for  the  names,  so  as  to  use  the 
exact  phraseology.  The  edict  is  to  be  read  for  two 
Sabbaths  before  the  ordination. — Book  of  Discipline, 
p.  105. 


ORDINATION  OF  OFFICERS  185 

III 

The   Order  of  Exercises  in  the  Ordination  Serine es. 

1.  Convene  and  constitute  the  session. 

2.  Read  the  edict. 

This  is  the  opening  act  of  the  ordination  service. 
The  rule  is  specific.  ''And  on  the  day  of  ordination 
immediately  before  the  services  commence,  the  edict 
shall  be  read.  This  is  done  by  order  of  the  court 
which  meets  and  constitutes  in  some  convenient  place 
shortly  before  the  services  are  to  commence.  An 
edict  shall  be  served  in  the  same  manner  before  the 
ordination,  or  admission,  of  ruling  elders  and  dea- 
cons."— Book  of  Discipline,  pp.  105,  106. 

This  requirement  to  convene  and  constitute  the  ses- 
sion beforehand  is  not  always  observed;  and,  where 
the  preliminaries  have  been  regularly  attended  to,  it 
may  not  be  necessary.  In  reading  the  edict  for  the 
last  time,  change  the  last  sentence  to  read,  "Which  is 
now  constituted." 

3.  Preach  the  ordination  sermon. 

This  should  be  appropriate  to  the  occasion  and 
should  not  exceed  thirty  minutes  in  length.  Suitable 
subjects  are:  The  Church:  Her  Organization  and 
Laws;  The  Duties  and  Responsibilities  of  Church 
Officers :  The  Grace  and  Support  Promised ;  The 
Steward's  Accountability  to  God;  Watching  for 
Souls. 

4.  Call  the  court  to  order  and  invite  the  candi- 
dates forward. 

It  is  very  important  to  explain  to  the  candidates 
beforehand  what  they  will  be  expected  to  do.  Make 
clear  to  them  the  several  steps,  even  to  the  minutest 
particulars. 

5.  Give  a  brief  narrative  of  the  previous  steps. 
Write  this  out  so  that  you  can  say  the  exact  thing. 


i86       PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

This  narrative  will  relate  that  at  its  meeting  on  such 
a  date  the  session  resolved  upon  an  increase  of  offi- 
cers ;  that  such  a  time  was  fixed  for  the  election ;  that 
due  notice  was  given  to  the  congregation ;  that  the 
election  was  regularly  conducted  according  to  the 
prescribed  order ;  that  the  persons  now  before  the  con- 
gregation were  duly  elected ;  that  they  have  already 
been  examined  by  the  session  and  judged  qualified  to 
undertake  the  office  to  which  they  stand  elected;  that 
the  edict  has  been  properly  served  on  three  several 
occasions,  and  that  no  objections  having  been  made 
(or  sustained)  the  session  has  now  resolved  to  go 
forward  with  the  ordination. 

6.  Propose  the  prescribed  queries  in  Book  of  Dis- 
cipline, pp.   117-119.     Testimony,  pp.  251,  252. 

7.  Take  the  engagements  of  the  parties. 
Question  the  candidates  as  to  their  willingness  to 

undertake  the  office  in  this  congregation  and  the  con- 
gregation as  to  their  acceptance  of  these  as  officers. 

In  ordaining  ministers,  the  Form  of  Church  Gov- 
ernment provides  that:  ''After  the  sermon,  the  min- 
ister who  hath  preached  shall  in  the  face  of  the 
congregation  demand  of  him  who  is  now  to  be  or- 
dained .  .  ."  Here  follow  his  engagements.  Again : 
*Tn  all  which,  having  declared  himself,  professed  his 
willingness,  and  promised  his  endeavors  by  the  help 
of  God,  the  minister  likewise  shall  demand  of  the 
people  concerning  their  willingness  to  receive  and 
acknowledge  him  as  the  minister  of  Christ,  and  to 
obey  and  submit  unto  him,  as  having  rule  over  them 
in  the  Lord,  and  to  maintain,  encourage,  and  assist 
him  in  all  the  parts  of  his  office." — Book  of  Discipline, 
p.  52,  Sees.  6,  7. 

It  is  evident  that  the  design  of  this  part  of  the 
service  is  to  take  the  mutual  engagements  of  the  par- 
ties to  each  other.  It  is  not  taking  a  vote  whether 
they  will  or  will  not,  which  would  be  equivalent  to  a 


ORDINATION  OF  OFFICERS  187 

reelection;  it  is  simply  taking  their  engagement  that 
they  will.  It  is  like  the  engagement  of  parents  in 
receiving  baptism  for  their  children,  or  the  vows  of 
husband  and  wife  in  entering  into  the  marriage  rela- 
tion. The  queries  are  to  be  audibly  answered  in  the 
hearing  of  the  congregation. 

It  is  customary  to  carry  out  the  same  idea  in  the 
ordination  and  installation  of  elders  and  deacons. 
See  United  Presbyterian  Govt,  and  Disc,  Chap.  VII, 
Art.  II,  Sees.  8,  9,  10,  and  Presbyterian  Book  of 
Govt.,  Chap.  XIII,  Sees.  4,  5. 

N.  B.  In  some  copies  of  the  Book  of  Discipline 
there  is  an  error  in  Query  5,  p.  118,  where  the  phrase, 
"And  from  the  unity  of  the  Christian  Church,"  is 
made  to  read:  "And  form  the  unity  of  the  Christian 
Church." 

8.  The  candidates  kneel  for  the  ordination  prayer. 
The  arrangements  for  this  should  be  carefully  made, 

and  in  such  a  way  that  there  shall  be  no  difficulty  pre- 
sented to  the  members  of  the  court  in  performing  the 
ceremony  of  the  imposition  of  hands. 

One  who  has  been  ordained  does  not  kneel  for  in- 
stallation. 

9.  The   ordination   prayer. 

The  pattern  for  this  is  given  in  Book  of  Discipline, 
p.  53.  Prepare  carefully  for  this  prayer,  noting  two 
things : 

(i)     The    act    is    performed    in    the    name    of 

Christ. 
(2)     There  is  a  proper  moment  for  the  impo- 
sition  of  hands. 
It  is  not  necessary  that  the  hands   should  remain 
upon  the  heads  of  the  candidates  until  the  close  of 
the  prayer. 

10.  The  members  of  the  court  extend  the  right 
hand  of  fellowship  both  to  elders  and  to  dea- 
cons. 


i88       PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

11.  Address  to  the  officers. 

12.  Address   to   the   congregation. 

These  addresses  should  be  admonitory,  encourag- 
ing, and  affectionate.  Do  not  mar  the  occasion  by 
rebukes  and  severity  for  past  remissness  on  the  part 
of  the  old  officers.  Strive  to  make  the  service  up- 
lifting to  the  soul  and  pleasant  to  the  memory. 

13.  The  officers  sign  the  terms  of  communion,  and, 
if  elders,  take  their  places  at  once  as  mem- 
bers of  the  court. 

Do  all  things  in  order. 


LECTURE  XX 
THE  EXERCISE  OF  DISCIPLINE 

The  parable  of  The  Tares  and  the'  Wheat  is  fre- 
quently quoted  as  opposed  to  the  exercise  of  disci- 
pline in  the  Church.  Does  not  our  Lord  say :  "Let 
both  grow  together  until  the  harvest ;  lest,  while  ye 
pull  up  the  tares,  ye  root  up  also  the  wheat  with 
them  ?" 

Fortunately  our  Lord  expounded  the  parable. 
"The  field  is  the  world,"  He  says.  It  will  not  do,  in 
the  face  of  His  declaration,  to  say,  "The  field  is  the 
Church."  And  if  the  field  is  the  world,  and  the 
harvest  is  the  end  of  the  world,  and  the  reapers  are 
the  angels,  then  the  parable  is  not  spoken  with  refer- 
ence to  the  exercise  of  Church  discipline,  but  refers 
to   God's  providential  government  of  the  world. 

"Discipline  is  the  exercise  of  that  authority  with 
which  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  has  clothed  the  officers 
of  His  Church,  to  deal  with  offenders  according  to 
the  laws  which  He  has  given  in  His  word." — United 
Presbyterian  Book  of  Govt,  and  Disc,  Chap.  I,  Part 
III. 

Murphy  says :  "This  is,  of  all  duties  devolving 
upon  pastor  and  session,  the  most  difficult  and  un- 
pleasant; and  yet  it  cannot  be  ignored  without  bring- 
ing the  Church  into  contempt,  and  seriously  injuring 
the  cause.  The  purity  of  the  Church,  the  honor  of 
the  cause  of  God,  the  value  of  the  privileges  of  mem- 
bership, the  good  of  offenders,  even  the  existence  of 
an  organized  body  of  believers,  demand  that  it  shall 
be  sometimes  exercised." 

189 


190       PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

It  is  therefore  important  that  painstaking  instruc- 
tion be  given  to  candidates  for  the  pastoral  office  in 
regard  to  this  difficult  and  yet  necessary  department 
of  their  work.  I  am  happy  to  confess  to  you,  young 
men,  that  I  have  less  experience  in  this  line  of  pastoral 
duty  than  in  any  other  of  which  I  have  spoken  to  you 
in  this  course  of  lectures. 

Let  us  consider: 


The  Objects  of  Church  Discipline. 

1.  To  vindicate  the  honor  and  authority  of  Jesus 
Christ. 

Ezek.  xxii,  26.  (R.  V.) — "Her  priests  have  done 
violence  to  my  law,  and  have  profaned  my  holy 
things:  they  have  put  no  difference  between  the  holy 
and  the  common;  neither  have  they  caused  men  to 
discern  between  the  unclean  and  the  clean;  and  have 
hid  their  eyes  from  my  Sabbaths ;  and  I  am  profaned 
among  them." 

Ezek.  xliv,  6-8.  (R.  V.)— "And  thou  shalt  say  to 
the  rebellious,  even  to  the  house  of  Israel,  thus  saith 
the  Lord  God:  O  ye  house  of  Israel,  let  it  suffice  you 
of  all  your  abominations,  in  that  ye  have  brought 
in  aliens,  uncircumcised  in  heart,  and  uncircumcised 
in  flesh,  to  be  in  my  sanctuary,  to  profane  it,  even 
my  house  when  ye  offer  my  bread,  the  fat  and  the 
blood,  and  they  have  broken  my  covenant  to  add  unto 
all  their  abominations." 

The  passages  show  how  Christ  is  wounded  in  the 
house  of  His  friends  when  the  most  sacred  mysteries 
of  His  holy  religion  are  thrown  open  to  the  profane 
and  to  the  unclean. 

2.  To  maintain  the  truth: 

The  Church  is  "the  pillar  and  ground  of  the  truth." 


EXERCISE  OF  DISCIPLINE  191 

The  Church  at  Ephesus  received  high  commendation 
from  her  Lord  for  her  fidelity  in  the  exercise  of  disci- 
pline for  the  maintenance  of  doctrine.  Rev.  ii,  i,  2 — 
"Unto  the  angel  of  the  Church  of  Ephesus  write: 
These  things  saith  he  that  holdeth  the  seven  stars  in 
his  right  hand,  he  that  walketh  in  the  midst  of  the 
seven  golden  candlesticks:  I  know  thy  works  and 
thy  toil  and  thy  patience,  and  that  thou  canst  not 
bear  evil  men;  and  didst  try  them  which  call  them- 
selves Apostles,  and  they  are  not,  and  didst  find  them 
false." 

On  the  other  hand  the  Church  at  Pergamos  is  se- 
verely rebuked  for  the  lack  of  discipline  for  false 
teaching.  Rev.  ii,  14.  (R.  V.) — "I  have  a  few  things 
against  thee,  because  thou  hast  there  some  that  hold 
the  teaching  of  Balaam,  who  taught  Balak  to  cast 
a  stumbling-block  before  the  children  of  Israel,  to 
eat  things  sacrificed  to  idols,  and  to  commit  fornica- 
tion. So  hast  thou  also  some  that  hold  the  teaching 
of  the  Nicolaitans  in  like  manner." 

All  trials  for  heresy  are  for  the  defense  of  truth. 
Rom.  xvi,  17:  "Mark  them  which  cause  divisions 
and  offenses  contrary  to  the  doctrine  which  ye  have 
learned;  and  avoid  them." 

3.  To  preserve  the  ordinances  in  their  purity. 
Rev.  xi,   I,  2:     "And  there  was  given  me  a  reed 

like  unto  a  rod ;  and  the  angel  said.  Rise,  and  measure 
the  temple,  and  the  altar,  and  them  that  worship 
therein."  The  angel  who  gave  this  instruction  is  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Angel  of  the  Covenant.  He 
is  the  only  King  and  Head  of  Zion,  and  He  here 
directs  that  the  standard  of  the  word  of  God  shall  be 
applied  to  His  church  in  her  constitution  and  govern- 
ment, her  worship  and  the  character  of  her  wor- 
shipers. This  is  the  use  of  the  discipline  of  the 
Church  to  preserve  the  purity  of  her  ordinances. 

4.  To  exclude  the  unholy  from  sealing  ordinances. 


192       PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

Ezek.  xliii,  10-12:  "Thou  son  of  man,  shew  the 
house  to  the  house  of  Israel,  that  they  may  be  ashamed 
of  their  iniquities;  and  let  them  measure  the  pattern. 
And  if  they  be  ashamed  of  all  that  they  have  done, 
shew  them  the  form  of  the  house  and  the  fashion 
thereof,  and  the  goings  out  thereof,  and  the  comings 
in  thereof,  and  all  the  forms  thereof,  and  all  the  ordi- 
nances thereof,  and  all  the  forms  thereof,  and  all  the 
laws  thereof,  and  write  it  in  their  sight,  that  they 
may  keep  the  whole  form  thereof,  and  all  the  ordi- 
nances thereof,  and  do  them.  This  is  the  law  of  the 
house.  Upon  the  top  of  the  mountain  the  whole 
limit  thereof  round  about  shall  be  most  holy.  Behold, 
this  is  the  law  of  the  house." 

This  passage  is  applied  to  the  service  known  as 
debarring,  or  ''fencing  the  tables" ;  but  it  is  also  a 
warrant  for  the  exercise  of  discipline  to  restrain  the 
unholy  and  profane  from  approaching  the  holy  sacra- 
ment impenitently. 

5.  To  reclaim  offenders. 

I  Cor.  V,  4,  5 :  'Tn  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  when  ye  are  gathered  together,  and  my  spirit, 
with  the  power  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ:  To  deliver 
such  an  one  unto  Satan,  for  the  destruction  of  the 
flesh  that  the  spirit  may  be  saved  in  the  day  of  the 
Lord  Jesus." 

Here  the  ends  of  discipline,  so  far  as  the  offender 
is  concerned,  are  clearly  stated.  It  is  for  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  flesh,  that  the  spirit  may  be  saved.  It  is 
an  exceedingly  difficult  thing  in  these  days  to  con- 
vince the  subjects  of  Church  discipline  that  they  are 
being  dealt  with  for  their  own  good.  Experience  has 
proved  the  efficiency  of  this  means  of  grace.  Men 
can  be  made  both  moral  and  religious  by  law. 

6.  To  deter  others  from  sin. 

I  Tim.  V,  20:  "Them  that  sin,  rebuke  before  all, 
that  others   also  may   be  in   fear."     Deut.   xiii,    11: 


EXERCISE  OF  DISCIPLINE  193 

"And  all  Israel  shall  hear,  and  fear,  and  shall  do  no 
more  any  such  wickedness  among  you."  See  Book 
of  Discipline,  Chap.  Ill,  Sec.  4. 

II 

The  Spirit  in  Which  Discipline  is  to  he  Exercised. 

One  of  the  most  important,  as  well  as  the  most 
difficult,  of  things,  is  for  the  pastor  to  keep  himself 
and  the  session  in  the  right  frame  of  mind.  So  many 
things  occur  to  arouse  wrong  feelings  and  to  warp 
the  judgment. 

The  proper  exercise  of  discipline  demands : 

1.  The  spirit  of  pray  erf  illness. 

When  Samuel  was  sent  to  reprove  Saul,  we  are 
told  that  ''he  cried  all  night  unto  God."  That  is  the 
kind  of  preparation  the  pastor  needs  when  entering 
upon  a  case  of  discipline.  Dr.  Wilcox,  in  The  Pastor 
and  His  Flock,  says :  "Never  let  the  process  of  disci- 
pline degenerate  into  a  cold,  technical  trial  of  charges. 
Commence  every  session  held  in  the  course  of  it  with 
earnest  prayer.  Suffuse  the  whole  with  a  devout  and 
tender  spirit." 

2.  The  spirit  of  humility. 

The  very  fact  that  there  is  a  call  for  the  exercise 
of  discipline  should  humble  the  pastor.  A  member 
of  his  flock  is  out  of  the  way.  Is  it  through  his  own 
remissness  in  teaching  or  warning  or  guiding  his 
people?  The  fact  that  we  are  clothed  with  authority 
over  the  lives  of  others  is  used  by  the  adversary  to 
foster  pride,  and  nothing  could  be  more  detrimental 
to  the  good  results  of  discipline  than  any  display  of 
this  spirit  before  those  who  are  the  subjects  of  disci- 
pline. Gal.  vi,  I :  "Brethren,  if  a  man  be  overtaken 
in  a  fault,  ye  which  are  spiritual,  restore  such  an  one 
in  the  spirit  of  meekness ;  considering  thyself  lest  thou 
also  be  tempted." 


194       PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

3.  The  spirit  of  wisdom. 

It  requires  discretion  to  determine  when  a  process 
of  discipHne  is  absolutely  necessary.  We  may  err 
either  in  being  too  hasty  or  in  being  too  reluctant  in 
taking  up  a  case.  And  not  only  when,  but  howf 
The  sad  consequences  which  may  result  from  our 
blundering  may  well  evoke  the  cry,  ''Who  is  sufficient 
for  these  things  ?"  James  i,  5 :  "If  any  of  you  lack 
wisdom,  let  him  ask  of  God,  that  giveth  to  all  men 
liberally  and  upbraideth  not;  and  it  shall  be  given 
him."  James  iii,  17:  ''But  the  wisdom  that  is  from 
above  is  fii'st  pure,  then  peaceable;  gentle,  and  easy 
to  be  entreated,  full  of  mercy  and  good  fruits,  with- 
out partiality,  and  without  hypocrisy." 

4.  The  spirit  of  firmness. 

All  exercise  of  authority  calls  for  this  quality.  A 
weak  vacillating  policy  only  excites  the  contempt  of 
the  people.  If  you  touch  a  nettle,  grasp  it  firmly. 
If  proper  caution  has  been  exercised  in  entering  upon 
a  case,  firmness  and  fidelity  in  carrying  it  forward 
will  command  respect. 

Ill 
Who  May  Be  Subjects  of  Discipline  by  the  Session. 

1.  All  the  officers  of  the  congregation  except  the 
pastor. 

Book  of  Discipline,  Chap.  Ill,  Sec.  2,  p.  70,  ^  i : 
"The  presbytery,  in  the  case  of  ministers ;  and  the 
session,  in  every  other  case,  is  the  competent  author- 
ity to  commence  and  finish  a  process  for  scandal, 
unless  a  reference  or  appeal  be  made  to  the  superior 
judicatory." 

2.  All  church  members  capable  of  committing 
such  offenses  as  are  proper  subjects  of  disci- 
pline. 


EXERCISE  OF  DISCIPLINE  195 

Book  of  Discipline,  Chap.  Ill,  Sec.  i,  H  3:  ''All 
church  members  capable  of  committing  such  offenses 
are  liable  to  discipline,  whatever  station  they  may 
occupy  in  life.  Even  minors,  after  they  shall  have 
arrived  at  the  years  of  discretion  or  after  having  been 
admitted  to  the  Lord's  table,  are,  in  all  respects, 
equally  with  those  of  more  advanced  years,  subject  to 
corrective  discipline." 

3.  Baptized  children  of  the  church,  though  not 
in  full  communion. 

Doubts  have  been  expressed  on  this  point,  but  the 
language  of  the  Book  is  specific. 

Book  of  Discipline,  Chap.  Ill,  Sec.  i,  p.  69,  ^  3: 
*'As  the  criminal  diffidence  and  neglect  of  those  young 
persons  who  do  not  choose  to  make  an  early  profes- 
sion of  the  Faith  cannot  invalidate  the  obligation 
arising  from  the  divine  law  and  their  own  baptism, 
so  it  is  not  to  prevent  the  application  to  them  of  that 
discipline  which  the  Redeemer  has  appointed  for  His 
family." 

The  United  Presbyterian  Book  of  Government  and 
Discipline,  Part  III,  Chap.  I,  Sec.  5,  says :  ''All  bap- 
tized persons,  being  members  of  the  church,  are  under 
its  care  and  subject  to  its  authority  and  discipline; 
and,  having  attained  the  years  of  discretion,  are  bound 
to  perform  all  the  duties  of  church  members." 

IV 

Offenses  Which  Require  the  Exercise  of  Discipline. 

1.  Offenses  may  be  either  private  or  public. 

a.  Private  offenses  are  such  as  are  known  only 
to  an  individual;  or,  at  most,  to  a  few. 

b.  Public    offenses    are    such    as    are    generally 
known;  or  are  known  to  many. 

2.  Offenses  may  be  either  personal  or  general. 


196       PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

a.  A  personal  offense  is  a  wrong  done  to  an 
individual,  or  to  individuals. 

b.  A  general  offense  is  any  heresy  or  immorality 
having  no  personal  relation,  or  apart  from 
it. — United  Presbyterian  Govt,  and  Disci- 
pline, Part  HI,  Chap,  2. 

These  distinctions  are  important,  because  the  pro- 
cedure will  vary  in  some  respects  in  reference  to 
these  several  classes. 

3.     Offenses  may  relate  to  either  Doctrine,  Char- 
acter, or  Conduct, 
a.     An  offense  in  Doctrine  is  called  Heresy, 
h.     An  offense  in  Character  is  called  Immorality. 

c.  An  offense  in  Conduct  is  called  Contempt, 


Who  May  Prefer  Charges f 

1.  Any  person  of  good  character,  whether  a  mem- 
ber of  the  church  or  not. — Book  of  Discipline, 
Chap,  n.  Sec.  2,  p.  70,  U  3. 

a.  No  one  not  of  good  fame  can  be  an  accuser. 

b.  No  one  who  is  himself  under  process  for 
scandal. 

c.  Charges  should  be  cautiously  received  from 
an  accuser  who  is  not  under  your  jurisdic- 
tion. 

The  reason  for  this  caution  is  that  the  person  bring- 
ing a  charge  is  liable  to  censure  if  he  fails  to  sub- 
stantiate it;  but  if  he  is  not  under  your  jurisdiction 
he  cannot  be  held  to  account  in  this  way.  Hence  a 
session  must  guard  its  members  from  outside  perse- 
cution,— See  Book  of  Discipline,  Chap.  HI,  Sec.  2,  ]f  3. 

2.  In  private  or  personal  injury  the  complainant 
should  be  the  prosecutor;  but  no  person  can  be 
compelled  to  become  an  accuser  (Sec.  3). 


EXERCISE  OF  DISCIPLINE  197 

3.  In  public  scandals,  the  session  may  be  compelled 
to  become  prosecutor. 

''All  processes  on  account  of  scandals  originally 
private  and  belonging  to  the  class  of  personal  tres- 
passes must  be  pursued  in  the  name  of  the  com- 
plainer ;  but,  if  the  scandal  becomes  public,  the  Church 
judicatory  is  bound  to  commence  the  process  against 
one  or  both  parties,  rather  than  tolerate  the  evil  with- 
out applying  the  remedy." — Book  of  Discipline,  Chap. 
Ill,  Sec.  2  and  Sec.  4. 


VI 

Preliminaries  to  Process. 

1.  Use  all  possible  endeavors  to  adjust  the  case 
without  process. 

On  this  point  Murphy  says:  ''It  is  extremely  diffi- 
cult at  the  present  time  so  to  conduct  a  process  of 
discipline  as  to  impart  to  it  any  value  either  to  the 
offenders  or  to  the  Church;  and  when  not  so  con- 
ducted it  will  do  harm  rather  than  good.  On  this 
account  a  process  of  discipline  should  never  be  en- 
tered upon  until  it  is  seen  to  be  absolutely  indis- 
pensable. Every  possible  effort  to  reclaim  the  offender 
should  first  be  made  in  private.  It  is  hardly  ever 
wise  for  a  pastor  to  encourage  the  prosecution  of  a 
member  of  his  church  when  the  matter  is  one  which 
is  personal  with  himself." 

This  last  sentiment  I  would  underscore.  Pastors 
have  been  permanently  injured  in  their  usefulness  by 
well-meant  prosecutions  undertaken  in  defense  of 
their  good  names. 

2,  Not  every  fault  is  a  censurable  scandal. 

The  Testimony,  Chap.  XXXI,  Sec.  2,  says:  "A 
scandal    is   not    everything   which   is    sinful    or   dis- 


198       PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

pleaseth,  but  something  in  a  professor's  carriage 
which,  either  in  itself,  or  from  its  circumstances,  may- 
tempt  others  to  sin,  expose  the  Church  to  just  re- 
proach, or  mar  the  spiritual  comfort  of  saints." 

The  Book  of  Discipline  suggests  great  caution  on 
this  point.  It  says:  'The  process  which  is  intended 
to  remove  scandal,  frequently,  from  the  misguided 
zeal  or  passion  of  the  parties  concerned,  generates 
new  scandal  demanding  Church  censure ;  and  in  no 
case  is  more  prudence  and  delicacy  required  on  the 
part  of  the  Church  officers,  to  maintain  order,  to  dis- 
criminate and  to  administer  promptly  due  censure 
with  an  amiable  severity." 

"Due  censure  with  an  amiable  severity''  is  good, 

3.  Even  violations  of  Church  law  often  can  be 
settled  without  formal  process. 

The  parties  may  be  invited  to  appear  before  session 
without  citation,  make  their  own  statement  in  refer- 
ence to  the  offense,  and  submit  to  the  judgment  of 
session,  based  upon  their  own  statement  of  the  case. 
As  a  pastor  I  secured  the  settlement  of  many  cases 
of  that  kind  in  that  way.  I  had  cases  of  sitting  on 
juries,  and  of  voting;  but  I  had  also  cases  of  ante- 
nuptial fornication,  and  of  drunkenness,  all  satisfac- 
torily adjusted  without  formal  process;  and  two 
decades  have  proved  that  the  repentance  was  sincere 
in  every  case.  Of  course,  such  settlements  are  not 
to  be  made  at  the  expense  of  the  laws  of  the  Church, 
but  by  the  parties  voluntarily  submitting  themselves 
to  the  authority  of  the  session  without  formal  trial. 

4.  Parties  may  be  required  to  submit  financial  diffi- 
culties to  an  arbitration.  See  Minutes  of 
Synod,  1893;  ^'  P-  &  ^v  P-  249. 

With  all  these  precautions  as  to  beginning  process, 
bear  in  mind  that  discipline  is  a  divine  institution  for 
most  exalted  and  noble  ends ;  that  its  proper  exercise 
is  not  to  be  shirked,  but  that  it  is  to  be  employed  with 


EXERCISE  OF  DISCIPLINE  i99 

implicit  faith  that  God  will  bless  his  own  ordinance 
to  the  honoring  of  His  name  and  the  salvation  of 
His  people.  "It  is  impossible  but  that  offenses  will 
come,  but  woe  unto  that  man  through  whom  the 
offense  cometh." 


LECTURE  XXI 

INSTITUTING  PROCESS 

When  all  efforts  for  private  settlement  have  failed 
and  it  finally  becomes  necessary  to  enter  upon  the 
judicial  investigation  of  a  case,  it  is  of  much  impor- 
tance that  the  session  proceed  in  an  orderly  way. 
Instructions  on  this  point  will  occupy  the  present 
lecture. 

I 

Preferring  Charges. 

I.     In  the  case  of  personal  offenses. 

a.  The  accuser  must  submit  his  charge  in  writ- 
ing.— Book  of  Discipline,  Chap.  Ill,  Sec.  2, 

Us- 

This  requirement  is  specific  and  the  reasons  are 
obvious.  Before  the  matter  can  go  any  further  the 
session  must  determine  whether  the  case  warrants  the 
framing  of  a  libel,  and  must  have  the  charge  in  writ- 
ing in  order  to  pass  upon  it.  If  the  accuser  does  not 
submit  his  charge  in  writing,  he  may  afterwards  com- 
plain that  the  session  did  not  frame  the  libel  in  ac- 
cordance with  his  charge.  Always  insist,  therefore, 
on  compliance  with  this  rule. 

b.  He  must   specify  the   offense,   and  the  time 
when,  and  the  place  where,  it  was  committed. 

It  will  not  do  to  take  up  some  general  charge  of 
conduct  unbecoming  a  Christian.     Some  definite  act 


INSTITUTING  PROCESS  201 

must  be  specified  and  the  time  and  place  designated, 
so  that  the  accused  may  have  opportunity  to  know 
what  he  has  to  meet,  and  how  to  prepare  his  defense. 
Besides,  charges  are  not  admissible  after  a  certain 
period  has  elapsed. 

c.  He  must  give  the  names  of  all  his  witnesses. 
The  session  cannot  judge  whether  the  evidence  is 

sufficient  to  make  the  charge  capable  of  proof,  until 
they  know  who  are  to  be  called  to  substantiate  the 
charge.  The  accuser,  therefore,  in  making  the 
charge,  must  name  his  witnesses. 

d.  He   must   show   that   he   has   complied   with 
Christ's  rule. 

Matt,  xviii,  15-17:  "And  if  thy  brother  sin 
against  thee,  go  show  him  his  fault  between  thee  and 
him  alone:  if  he  hear  thee,  thou  hast  gained  thy 
brother.  But  if  he  hear  thee  not,  take  with  thee  one 
or  two  more,  that  at  the  mouth  of  two  witnesses,  or 
three,  every  word  mav  be  established.  And  if  he 
refuse  to  hear  them,  tell  it  unto  the  church." 

The  Church  insists  upon  obedience  to  this  rule. — 
Book  of  Discipline,  Chap.  HI,  Sec.  i,  If  5.  The  ses- 
sion should  always  inquire  whether  or  not  it  has  been 
observed;  and,  if  it  has  not,  they  should  refuse  to 
listen  to  the  accuser  until  he  has  complied  with  this 
requirement. 

The  United  Presbyterian  Book  says :  "In  cases  of 
personal  offenses,  the  injured  party,  whether  the  of- 
fense be  public  or  private,  must  use  the  means  pre- 
scribed by  our  Lord  for  bringing  the  offender  to  a 
sense  of  his  error  and  effecting  a  reconciliation,  before 
he  can  be  admitted  as  a  prosecutor.  Failure  to  com- 
ply with  our  Lord's  direction,  by  any  one  lodging  an 
information  against  another,  is  itself  an  offense  sub- 
jecting the  informer  to  censure." — United  Presbyter^ 
ian  Book  of  Govt,  and  Discipline,  Book  II,  Chap,  2, 
Sees.  3,  4. 


202       PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

And  the  Preshyterian  Book  is  still  more  emphatic. 
It  says:  "Those  who  bring  information  of  private 
and  personal  injuries  before  judicatories,  without 
having  taken  these  previous  steps,  shall  themselves 
be  censured,  as  guilty  of  an  offense  against  the  peace 
and  order  of  the  Church." — Presbyterian  Book  of 
Govt.,  Book  n,  Chap.  2,  Sees.  3,  4. 

H  this  law  is  rigidly  enforced  many  cases  will 
never  go  any  further.  The  Scripture  warrant  for  it 
is  so  specific  that  no  Christian  can  reasonably  object 
to  its  enforcement. 

2.     In  the  case  of  general  offenses. 

a.  An  individual  may  be  accuser  and  prosecutor. 
Because  offenses  are  either  general  or  public,  it  does 

not  follow  that  the  charges  cannot  be  preferred  by  a 
private  individual.  Anyone  who  is  competent  to 
bring  a  personal  charge  is  competent  to  prefer  a 
charge  for  a  general  offense.  There  are  cases  where 
it  may  be  a  most  sacred  duty  to  do  so. 

b.  An  individual  may  be  the  informer,  and  yet 
he  may  decline  to  be  the  prosecutor.  Book 
of  Discipline,  Chap.  Ill,  Sec.  2,  |fTf  3,  4. 

If  the  offense  is  personal,  the  informer  must  be 
the  prosecutor ;  but,  if  the  offense  is  general,  he  may 
simply  submit  his  information  to  the  court,  and  leave 
it  to  the  judgment  of  the  session  whether  they  will 
take  up  the  case  or  not. 

The  United  Preshyterian  Book  contains  a  very  wise 
provision  for  cases  of  this  kind:  'Tn  cases  taken 
up  on  information,  the  name  of  the  informer  may  be 
withheld  at  the  discretion  of  the  court;  but  if  the  in- 
nocence of  the  party  accused  is  clearly  made  out, 
the  court  shall  inquire  whether  the  informer  acted 
through  malice,  or  imprudence,  or  otherwise;  and 
deal  with  him  accordingly."  United  Preshyterian 
Book  of  Govt,  and  Disc.,  Chap.  Ill,  Sec.  2. 

You  will  find  it  a  not  uncommon  thing  for  a  person 


INSTITUTING  PROCESS  203 

to  come  to  the  pastor  with  a  complaint  against  a 
brother  for  a  general  offense,  accompanied  with  the 
request  that  the  informer's  name  shall  not  be  dis- 
closed. Let  him  understand  that  you  will  not  bind 
yourself  not  to  disclose  his  identity,  that  you  have 
discretionary  power  as  to  that,  and  that,  even  if  the 
namic  is  not  disclosed  at  first,  the  accuser  will  be 
held  to  responsibility  for  the  truthfulness  of  the 
charge. 

c.  The  court  may  prefer  a  charge  on  the  ground 
of  common  fame. 

In  order  that  a  prosecution  may  be  begun  on  the 
ground  of  a  fama,  the  following  conditions  must  be 
found  to  prevail: 

(i)     The  session  must  be  satisfied  that  a  fama 
really  exists. 

(2)  The  fama  must  specify  a  particular  of- 
fense. 

(3)  The  fama  must  be  widely  spread. 

(4)  The  fama  must  be  accompanied  with  rea- 
sonable presumptions  of  truth. 

(5)  The  fama  must  not  be  transient,  but  per- 
manent. 

These  provisions  are  all  so  reasonable  as  to  re- 
quire no  argument.  The  Book  says :  ''Great  caution 
should  be  exercised  in  presenting  charges  on  this 
ground.  Church  officers  must  be  especially  careful 
not  to  create  the  fama  which  they  make  the  basis 
of  their  prosecution." — Book  of  Discipline,  Chap.  Ill, 
Sec.  II,  T[  7. 

d.  One  knowing  himself  to  be  the  subject  of 
an  injurious  rumor  may  request  a  judicial 
investigation  for  his  vindication. 

Our  Book  does  not  especially  provide  for  such  a 
case,  but  both  the  United  Presbyterian  and  the  Pres- 
byterian Books  make  such  provision. 

The  United  Presbyterian  Book  says :     ''As,  how- 


204       PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

ever,  a  rumor  may  exist  not  amounting  to  common 
fame,  affecting  the  character  of  an  individual,  the 
person  affected  thereby  may  request  a  judicial  in- 
vestigation for  his  own  vindication  and  it  may  be 
proper  for  the  court  to  grant  the  request." — United 
Presbyterian  Book  of  Govt,  and  Disc,  Part  HI,  Chap. 
HI,  Sec.  6. 

The  Presbyterian  Book  is  even  stronger.  It  says: 
'Tt  may  happen,  however,  that  in  consequence  of  a 
report  which  does  not  fully  amount  to  general  rumor 
as  just  described,  a  slandered  individual  may  request 
a  judicial  investigation,  which  it  may  be  the  duty  of 
the  judicatory  to  institute." 

It  seems  reasonable  that  a  member  of  the  Church 
should  be  allowed  to  invoke  the  authority  of  her 
courts  to  protect  his  good  name.  This  must  be  recog- 
nized as  a  correct  principle;  however,  the  occasions 
for  its  application  are  comparatively  rare.  It  is  es- 
pecially rare  in  the  case  of  a  rumor  against  the  pas- 
tor. Be  too  busy  for  rumor  to  attack  you,  and  not 
busy  enough  to  create  rumor. 

II 

Framing  a  Libel. 

1.  It  belongs  to  the  court  to  frame  the  libel. 

No  matter  by  whom  the  charge  is  preferred,  the 
framing  of  the  libel,  in  sessional  cases,  belongs  to  the 
session. 

2.  A  formal  libel  is  not  in  every  case  necessary. 
The  Book  says:     ''When  the  judicatory  commences 

a  process  without  any  particular  accuser,  it  is  upon 
the  ground  of  faina  clamosa,  and  the  charge  may  be 
presented  in  more  general  terms,  but  in  every  other 
respect  the  same  rules  apply  as  in  the  case  of  a  spe- 
cific libel." 


INSTITUTING  PROCESS  205 

3.  In  difficult  cases  the  court  should  proceed  by 
libel. 

In  all  kinds  of  judicial  procedure,  the  orderly  way 
is  usually  the  shortest  and  best.  If  a  case  cannot  be 
settled  without  proceeding  to  trial,  it  is  usually  be- 
cause the  accused  intends  to  contest  every  point.  In 
this  case  it  is  much  easier  for  the  moderator  to  pro- 
ceed under  a  libel.  The  points  of  law  and  order  are 
more  readily  perceived. 

4.  The  accused  party  may  demand  a  libel. 

The  party  placed  on  trial  is  entitled  to  all  the  ad- 
vantages, in  making  his  defense,  which  the  law  pre- 
scribes ;  and,  if  he  believes  that  a  formal  libel  will 
be  better  for  him,  it  is  his  privilege  to  insist  upon  it. 


Ill 

The  Form  of  the  Libel. 

1.  It  must  be  specific  as  to  the  offense  charged. 

2.  It  must  state  when  and  where  the  offense  was 
committed. 

3.  It  must  set  forth  wherein  the  offense  violated 
Scripture  and  the  standards  of  the  Church. 

The  language  of  the  libel  is :  ''Contrary  to  the 
word  of  God  and  the  profession  of  the  Reformed 
Presbyterian  Church  founded  thereon." 

a.  After  the  phrase,  ''Contrary  to  the  word 
of  God,"  reference  should  be  made  to  the 
particular  passages  of  Scripture  which  con- 
demn the  sin  specified. 

b.  After  the  phrase,  "And  the  profession  of  the 
Reformed  Presbyterian  Church  founded 
thereon,"  reference  should  be  made  to  the 
particular  statements  in  the  Confession  of 
Faith,  Testimony,   Covenant,  Catechisms,  or 


2o6       PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

Terms   of   Communion   which    condemn   the 
sin  charged. 

4.  The  Hbel  must  bear  the  signature  of  the  prose- 
cutor, when  made  by  a  private  person ;  and  of 
the  moderator  and  clerk  when  the  session  is 
the  prosecutor. 

5.  It  must  bear  the  names  of  all  the  witnesses. 

6.  If  new  witnesses  are  afterwards  discovered,  the 
names  must  be  furnished  to  the  accused  and 
additional  time  given  to  prepare  for  trial. 

Book  of  Discipline,  Chap.  Ill,  Sec.  2,  ^  6. 

Book  of  Discipline,  pages  134,  135:  Form  of  Libel. 

IV 

Serving  the  Libel. 

1.  The  libel  is  to  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  the 
accused,  or  left  at  his  residence. — Book  of  Dis- 
cipline, Chap.  Ill,  Sec.  2,  jf][  6,  12. 

2.  It  is  to  be  accompanied  by  a  citation  signed  by 
the  moderator  and  clerk  to  appear  and  answer 
to  the  libel. — Idem  supra.  After  the  first  cita- 
tion only  the  signature  of  the  clerk  is  neces- 
sary.— If  10. 

3.  The  citation  should  allow  the  accused  at  least 
one  week  to  prepare  for  trial. — ^  6. 

Both  the  United  Presbyterian  and  the  Presbyterian 
Books  allow  ten  days  to  the  accused.  It  is  best  to 
allow  him  all  the  time  he  reasonably  can  ask,  in  order 
that  there  may  be  no  excuse  for  delay  when  the  time 
arrives,  or  ground  of  complaint  when  the  trial  is 
over. 

4.  If  the  first  citation  is  not  obeyed,  the  session 
must  order  another  in  the  same  form. 

5.  The  time  allowed  after  the  second  citation  is 
discretionary  with  the  court. 


INSTITUTING  PROCESS  207 

6.  The  second  citation  should  contain  an  intima- 
tion that  the  trial  will  proceed,  whether  the  ac- 
cused appears  or  not. 

7.  If  the  person  cited  declare  on  the  first  citation 
that  he  will  not  obey  it,  this  shall  in  no  case 
hinder  the  issuing  of  a  second  citation.  There 
should  be  no  discussion  of  the  matter.  The 
second  citation  should  simply  be  served. 

8.  If  the  second  citation  is  not  obeyed,  session 
may  either  proceed  with  the  trial  in  the  ab- 
sence of  the  accused,  or  it  may  suspend  him 
for  contempt  of  court. 

In  most  cases  the  latter  course  is  preferable;  it  is 
very  much  the  easier,  and  it  is  so  manifestly  just 
that  it  leaves  no  ground  of  objection  on  the  part  of 
the  accused;  while  a  trial  conducted  in  the  absence 
of  the  accused  is  not  likely  to  be  satisfactory. 

If,  however,  the  session  has  already  some  evidence 
that  the  accused  is  guilty,  it  may  be  better  to  take 
the  testimony  while  it  is  available  and  include  in  the 
sentence  of  condemnation,  the  act  of  contumacy  as 
well  as  the  original  charge. 

9.  If  the  accused  present  a  valid  reason  for  his 
neglect  to  obey  the  citations,  then  the  citation 
shall  be  repeated  de  novo. — Id.,  ^  12. 

10.  Citations  may  be  served  by  any  one  compe- 
tent to  attend  to  it. — Idem  Supra,  Ij  10. 

11.  The  person  serving  the  citations  must  certify 
that  fact  to  the  session. — Idem  Supra,  1j  10. 

V 

The  Citation  of  Witnesses. 

I.  All  citations  of  witnesses,  both  of  the  prose- 
cutor and  of  the  accused,  are  issued  and  signed 
by  the  clerk  of  session. 


2o8       PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

2.  Each  party  cites  his  own  witnesses. 

In  case  the  session  is  the  prosecutor,  the  clerk 
usually  attends  to  serving  the  citations.  But,  when 
the  prosecutor  is  a  private  person,  it  is  his  business 
to  cite  his  own  witnesses.  It  is  always  the  business 
of  the  accused  to  cite  the  witnesses  for  the  defense. 
The  clerk  of  session  must  furnish  the  citations  for 
both  parties. — Idem  supra,  If  lo. 

3.  Any  one  may  serve  the  citations  of  witnesses 
who  will  furnish  a  certificate  to  the  court  that 
he  has  so  done. 

4.  Members  of  the  Church  can  be  required  to  at- 
tend when  cited  as  witnesses,  under  pain  of 
Church  censures  for  contempt  of  court,  if  they 
refuse. 

5.  Those  not  members  of  the  Church  can  only 
be  requested. — Book  of  Discipline,  Chap.  Ill, 
Sec.  2,  T[  19. 

It  is  not  always  easy  to  secure  the  attendance  of 
witnesses.  People  dislike  to  appear  in  court,  and 
many  who  have  been  talking  freely  become  dumb  sud- 
denly when  proceedings  are  begun.  An  effective  way 
to  check  a  garrulous  gossiper  is  to  produce  your  note- 
book and  begin  to  take  down  his  name  and  address, 
and  his  statements,  and  intimate  that  he  may  be  called 
on  to  recite  his  story  in  court.  The  refusal  to  tes- 
tify when  properly  called  upon  by  a  church  court 
is  not  only  contempt  of  the  court,  but  is  a  violation 
of  the  ninth  commandment  which  requires:  'The 
maintaining  and  promoting  of  truth  between  man  and 
man,  and  of  our  own  and  our  neighbor's  good  name, 
especially  in  witness  bearing." — Testimony,  Chap, 
xxvii,  Sec.  3. 

6.  In  case  important  witnesses  cannot  attend,  their 
testimony  may  be  taken  by  delegates  sent  from 
the  court. 

The  accused  should  be  notified  in  order  that  he 


INSTITUTING  PROCESS  209 

may  be  present  to  cross-question  the  witness.  No 
step  should  at  any  time  be  taken  which  does  not  con- 
serve the  right  of  the  accused  to  meet  his  accusers 
face  to  face.  A  man's  character  and  good  name  are 
so  sacred  that  a  church  court  is  under  obHgation  to 
afiford  him  every  opportunity  to  defend  them. 

7.  The  session  may  request  some  other  judicatory, 
or  competent  authority,  to  secure  testimony  not 
otherwise  obtainable. 

When  testimony  is  taken  in  this  way,  the  judicatory 
should  use  its  discretion  in  determining  how  much 
weight  is  to  be  attached  thereto. — Book  of  Discipline, 
Chap.  Ill,  Sec.  2,  H  18. 


LECTURE  XXII 
CONDUCTING  A  TRIAL 


The  Opening  of  the  Case. 

1.  Ascertain  whether  the  libel  has  been  prop- 
erly served  and  the  witnesses  cited. 

When  the  court  assembles  at  the  time  and  place 
appointed  for  trial  and  has  been  regularly  consti- 
tuted, before  beginning  the  trial,  it  is  necessary  to 
know  that  the  preliminaries  have  been  regularly  at- 
tended to,  and  that  the  parties  are  present  in  answer 
to  your  citation.  Then  the  moderator  announces  that 
the  session  will  proceed  with  the  case. 

2.  The  moderator  reads  the  libel,  explains  the 
nature  of  the  charge,  sets  forth  the  ends  of  dis- 
cipline and  the  present  duty  of  the  accused. — 
Book  of  Discipline,  Chap.  Ill,  Sec.  2,  ^  15. 

This  part  of  the  action  should  be  performed  with 
gravity  and  solemnity.  The  accused  should  be  made 
to  feel  the  seriousness  of  his  position  when  sum- 
moned before  a  court  clothed  with  Christ's  authority, 
to  answer  for  conduct  inconsistent  with  his  Christian 
profession.  Care  should  be  taken  to  remove  from 
his  mind  all  mistaken  views  as  to  the  ends  of  Church 
discipline,  and  to  show  him  how  it  is  related  to  the 
honor  of  Jesus  Christ,  to  the  purification  of  the 
Church,  and  to  the  salvation  of  the  accused;  and  he 
should  be  appealed  to  as  Joshua  appealed  to  Achan: 
"My  son,  give,  I  pray  thee,  glory  to  the  Lord  God 

210 


CONDUCTING  A  TRIAL  211 

and  make  confession  unto  him."  At  the  same  time 
let  him  understand  his  rights  as  a  member  of  the 
Church  to  a  fair  and  orderly  trial.  Never  take  ad- 
vantage of  the  ignorance  of  the  accused  to  place  him 
in  an  unfavorable  position  for  his  defense. 
3.     Test  the  admissibility  of  the  charges. 

(i)  The  accused  has  a  right  to  be  heard  on 
this  point. 
When  the  charges  are  first  laid  before  the  session, 
before  the  libel  has  been  framed,  the  session  con- 
siders the  question  of  their  admissibility.  But  the 
formulation  of  the  libel  and  the  citation  of  the  wit- 
nesses may  develop  new  questions  affecting  its  ad- 
missibility; and,  more  especially  because  this  is  a 
point  on  which  the  accused  has  the  right  to  be  heard, 
it  cannot  be  regarded  as  finally  settled  until  this  point 
is  reached. 

(2)     The  matters  which  affect  the  admissibility 
of  the  libel  are: 

a.  The  character  of  the  accuser. 

If  it  can  be  shown  that  the  accuser  is  himself  of 
untrustworthy  character,  or  is  under  charges  or  cen- 
sure of  the  Church,  he  cannot  prosecute  the  case. 

b.  The  admissibility  of  the  testimony. 
There   are   questions   affecting   the   competency   of 

witnesses,  which  will  be  considered  later;  but  objec- 
tion may  be  raised  on  the  ground  of  the  incompe- 
tency of  the  witnesses. 

c.  The  indefiniteness  of  the  charges. 

The  law  requires  that  the  charges  be  specific,  and 
the  libel  may  be  thrown  out  on  account  of  the  gen- 
erality of  the  charges. 

d.  The  date  of  the  commission  of  the  crime. 
The  libel  must  state  the  date  at  which  the  crime 

was  committed,  and,  if  more  than  one  year  has  elapsed 
since  the  facts  on  which  the  charge  is  founded  be- 
came known  to  the  accuser,  the  libel  must  be  dis- 


212       PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

missed   as    inadmissible. — Book    of  Discipline,    Chap. 
HI,  Sec.  I,  II  7. 

e.  Want  of  a  sufficient  number  of  witnesses. 
The  law  says :  ''Testimony  must  ever  bear  a  pro- 
portion in  weight  and  clearness  to  the  improbability, 
the  magnitude,  and  the  consequences  of  the  scandal; 
and  no  person  shall  be  convicted  upon  the  testimony 
of  a  single  witness  however  pointed  and  clear  it  may 
appear  to  be." — Book  of  Discipline,  Chap.  HI,  Sec. 
2,   Iflf    16-19.      United  Presbyterian  Book,    Part   HI, 

Chap,  vn,  If  5. 

Any  one  of  these  five  grounds  is  sufficient  to  de- 
stroy the  admissibility  of  the  charges.  If  the  libel 
be  declared  inadmissible,  all  further  proceedings  cease. 

4.     Test  the  relevancy  of  the  libel. 

(i)  The  question  to  be  determined  under  this 
is  whether  the  charges  if  proved  are  cen- 
surable. 

The  libel  affirms  that  a  certain  thing  is  a  heinous 
sin  and  scandal,  "contrary  to  the  Scriptures  and  the 
profession  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church 
founded  thereon" ;  and  then  it  proceeds  to  charge 
that  the  accused  is  guilty  of  this  sin  because  of  cer- 
tain specific  acts,  committed  at  a  certain  time.  The 
question  raised  as  to  relevancy  is,  whether,  if  these 
specified  acts  be  proved  by  competent  witnesses,  they 
will  sustain  the  general  charge  contained  in  the  libel ; 
and  whether,  the  general  proposition  being  true  and 
the  specifications  being  proved,  the  ofifense  is  neces- 
sarily censurable. 

For  instance,  the  libel  might  read  as  follows: 

"Whereas,  living  in  an  incestuous  relation  is  a 
grievous  sin  and  scandal,  contrary  to  the  word  of  God 
and  the  profession  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian 
Church  founded  thereon ;  yet,  true  it  is  that  you,  John 
Doe,  are  guilty  of  the  scandal  above  stated,  in  so 
far  as  you,  the  said  John  Doe,  were,  on  the  first  day 


CONDUCTING  A  TRIAL  213 

of  November,  1907,  united  in  marriage  to  Jane  Roe, 
your  deceased  wife's  sister,  which  being  found  rele- 
vant and  proven  against  you,  you  ought  to  be  pro- 
ceeded against  by  the  censures  of  the  Lord's  house." 
Is  this  Hbel  relevant?  This  involves  two  inquiries. 
First:  Is  living  in  an  incestuous  relation  a  heinous 
sin  and  scandal?  This  is  necessary  because  some  of- 
fenses are  not  scandals.  It  being  decided  that  incest 
is  a  censurable  offense,  the  second  question  is:  "Is 
marrying  a  deceased  wife's  sister  incestuous?"  If  it 
were  proved  that  the  accused  had  married  his  de- 
ceased wife's  sister,  would  he  thereby  be  convicted 
of  living  in  an  incestuous  relation?  In  other  words, 
the  general  proposition  that  incest  is  a  heinous  sin 
and  scandal  being  admitted;  and  the  specification 
under  it  that  John  Doe  had  married  his  deceased 
wife's  sister  being  proved:  is  John  Doe  subject  to 
censure? 

(2)  On  the  question  of  relevancy,  the  accused 
has  the  right  to  be  fully  heard. 

(3)  In  opposing  the  relevancy  of  the  libel,  the 
accused  is  not  permitted  to  make  a  plea 
against  the  principles  of  his  public  pro- 
fession.— Book  of  Discipline,  Chap.  Ill,  Sec. 

This  third  provision  is  very  important.  Suppose 
that  in  the  above  case  where  the  specific  charge  is 
marrying  a  deceased  wife's  sister,  the  accused  denies 
the  relevancy  of  the  libel,  claiming  that  the  principle 
laid  down  in  the  Confession  of  Faith  and  in  the 
Testimony,  viz,  "That  a  man  may  not  marry  any  of 
his  wife's  kindred  nearer  in  blood  than  he  may  of  his 
own,"  is  not  Scriptural;  and  suppose  that  the  accused 
proposes  to  appeal  from  the  lower  standards  to  the 
supreme  standard,  the  word  of  God:  he  cannot  be 
permitted  to  do  so,  because,  in  his  public  profession, 
he    has    declared    his    belief    that    these    subordinate 


214        PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

standards  are  agreeable  unto  and  founded  on  the 
Word  of  God.  When  he  is  hbeled  for  violation  of 
his  public  profession,  he  cannot  deny  the  relevancy 
of  the  libel  on  the  ground  that  the  profession  is  un- 
scriptural. 

This  principle  received  a  striking  elucidation  in  con- 
nection with  our  Church  troubles  in  1891.  See  re- 
view of  a  speech  of  Dr.  J.  K.  McClurkin  by  Prof. 
James  Dick,  R.  P.  and  C,  April  and  May,  1891. 

In  cases  of  trials  for  heresy  or  for  following  di- 
visive courses,  the  relevancy  of  the  libel  cannot  be 
challenged  by  an  appeal  from  the  subordinate  Stand- 
ards of  the  Church  to  the  Scriptures  as  the  supreme 
standard. 

The  question  of  the  relevancy  of  the  libel  should 
always  be  carefully  weighed  and  the  Book  says :  'Tf, 
on  careful  consideration,  the  charges  be  found  not 
relevant,   all   further  proceedings  must  terminate." 

5.     Interrogate  the  accused  as  to  the  matters  of  fact. 

This  refers  to  the  specifications  in  the  libel.  The 
moderator  calls  upon  the  accused  to  stand  up,  and 
then  questions  him  as  to  whether  he  did  the  things 
which  are  charged  in  the  libel. 

(i)     If  the  facts  are  admitted,  the  way  is  open 

for  a  decision. 
(2)     If  the  charges  are  denied,  the  judicatory 
shall  proceed  to  trial. 

II 

Taking  the  Testimony. 

I.  The  judicatory  or  either  of  the  parties  may  re- 
quire the  witnesses  to  be  sworn. 

It  is  not  always  necessary,  but  there  should  be  no 
hesitancy  either  on  the  part  of  the  court  or  of  the 
witnesses  to  employ  the  oath  if  it  is  desired.     "An 


CONDUCTING  A  TRIAL  215 

oath  for  confirmation  is  to  them  an  end  of  all  strife." 
(i)     The  moderator  administers  the  oath. 

(2)  The   witness    stands   and   raises   his    right 
hand. 

This  is  the  Scriptural  attitude  for  taking  an  oath. 
Kissing  the  Bible  is  expressly  condemned  in  our  Tes- 
timony. It  says :  ''On  no  account  should  he  con- 
form to  the  superstitious  practice  of  kissing  the 
Book." — Testimony,  Chap.  XXVII,  Sec.  3. 

(3)  All  persons  present  should  stand  during  the 
administration  of  the  oath. 

The  solemnity  of  the  act  needs  to  be  deeply  im- 
pressed  in   its   administration. 

2.  The  accused  may  impeach  the  character  of  the 
witnesses. 

(i)     The  court  must  hear  the  objections  and  put 

them  on  record. 
(2)     The  judicatory  must  receive  legitimate  proof 
of  their  truthfulness. 
If  the  case  should  be  carried  up  by  complaint  or 
appeal  to  a  higher  court,  these  will  form  proper  mat- 
ters for  review. 

3.  The  competency  of  a  witness  may  be  challenged 
on  the  following  grounds : 

(i)     Want  of  proper  age. 
No  certain  age  can  be  fixed  by  law,  and  the  age  at 
which  one  would  be  competent  to  testify  would  be 
affected  by  the  nature  of  the  fact  to  be  proved. 

(2)  Want  of  the  senses  necessary  to  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  crime  charged. 

A  blind  person  could  not  testify  to  that  which  is 
known  only  by  sight;  or  a  deaf  person  to  that  which 
is  perceived  only  by  hearing. 

(3)  Weakness  of  intellect. 

(4)  Infamy  of  character. 

(5)  Malice  toward  the  accused. 

In  regard  to  this  latter,  it  is  expressly  provided 


2i6        PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

that,  if  required,  witnesses,  before  giving  their  testi- 
mony, are  to  be,  on  their  oath,  purged  of  all  malice 
against  the  accused. 

H  the  accused  do  not  challenge  the  witnesses,  it 
is  usually  better  for  the  court  to  admit  all,  and  then 
judge  of  the  value  of  their  testimony. — Book  of  Dis- 
cipline, Chap.  HI,  Sec.  2,  ^^  19-20. 

4.     The  examination  of  witnesses. 

(i)  The  witness  must  state  all  he  knows  but 
cannot  be  compelled  to  incriminate  himself. 
(See  Part  HI,  Sec.  2,  J]}  2,  3.) 

The  method,  so  common  in  civil  courts,  of  swear- 
ing the  witness  to  tell  the  whole  truth  and  then  re- 
fusing to  allow  him  to  state  fully  what  he  knows  of 
the  case,  must  have  no  place  in  the  courts  of  the 
Lord's  house. 

(2)  The  examination  is  all  conducted  through 
the  moderator. 

(3)  Either  party  may  object  to  points  in  the 
testimony,  and  the  objection  must  be  placed 
on  the  record. 

The  law  says:  "Either  party  may  object  to  the 
course  pursued  in  examining  witnesses,  or  to  a  par- 
ticular question.  If  the  objection  is  not  sustained 
by  the  moderator,  an  appeal  may  be  taken  to  the 
court ;  if  not  sustained  by  the  court,  this  fact,  with 
the  objection,  shall  be  entered  upon  the  record." — 
Book  of  Discipline,  Chap.  HI,  Sec.  2,  ^  24. 

(4)  The  entire  testimony  must  be  written  down 
as  given;  then  read,  corrected,  and  signed 
by  the  witness. 

It  may  not  be  essential  always  to  write  down  the 
questions,  but  the  answers  are  to  be  recorded  ver- 
batim, and  the  questions  if  clearness  demands  them. 

(5)  A  witness  may  at  any  time  amend  his  tes- 
timony by  a  postscript,  signed  as  before. 

(6)  Hearsay  testimony  is  never  admissible, 


CONDUCTING  A  TRIAL  217 

(7)  The  testimony  of  a  deceased  person  who 
would  have  been  a  credible  witness  may  be 
received  if  proved,  but  does  not  have  the 
full  weight  of  direct  evidence. — ^  28. 

(8)  A  member  of  the  court  may  be  a  witness 
and  yet  sit  on  the  case. — ^  29. 

(9)  No  private  knowledge  possessed  by  mem- 
bers of  the  judicatory  may  be  allowed  to 
influence  their  decision. 

No  such  private  knowledge  should  exist.  The 
judgment  must  rest  entirely  upon  the  evidence  before 
the  court,  and  it  is  the  duty  of  every  member  of  the 
judicatory  to  make  known  to  the  court,  as  a  witness, 
everything  that  he  may  know  that  is  relevant  to  the 
case,  or  that  may  tend  to  a  righteous  decision. — |f  29. 

(10)  Documentary  evidence,  whether  written  or 
printed,  must  be  duly  authenticated  before 
it  is  used. 

Ordinarily  it  should  be  certified  by  the  affidavit 
of  the  proper  person,  witnessed  by  an  official  as  sealed 
instruments  are  attested. 

(11)  Extracts  from  the  minutes  of  sister  ju- 
dicatories are  authenticated  by  the  signa- 
ture of  the  clerk. — U  25. 

(12)  A  husband  or  wife  shall  not  be  compelled 
to  testify  where  the  other  is  on  trial. — Tf  20. 

(13)  Witnesses  should  be  examined  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  accused. 

(14)  They  are  to  be  examined  by  the  party 
introducing  them,  and  cross-examined  by 
the  other  party. 

(15)  Rebutting  testimony  may  be  offered  by 
either  party. 

By  rebutting  testimony  is  meant  testimony  intended 
to  set  aside,  or  modify,  the  testimony  given  by  wit- 
nesses on  the  opposite  side. 

I  have  advised  you  to  use  every  possible  means 


2i8        PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

to  avoid  the  necessity  for  judicial  process.  My  ad- 
vice now  is,  that,  when  you  are  forced  to  enter  upon 
the  investigation  of  a  case,  you  sift  it  to  the  bottom; 
and  let  it  be  distinctly  understood  that  there  will  be 
no  favoritism,  or  partiality,  or  whitewashing,  but 
that  you  will  use  every  means  in  your  power  to  get 
at  the  facts  of  the  case  by  legal  evidence.  The  courts 
of  Christ's  house  are  brought  into  deserved  contempt 
when  judicial  procedure  is  not  conducted  in  an  or- 
derly and  effective  way  to  a  definite  result  either  of 
honorable  acquittal  or  of  just  condemnation. 


LECTURE  XXIII 

ISSUING  A  CASE 

In  the  last  lecture  we  followed  the  steps  in  a  ju- 
dicial trial  to  the  point  where  the  witnesses  have  been 
examined  and  the  evidence  is  all  in.  Taking  up  the 
subject  where  we  left  off,  let  us  consider: 


Hearing  the  Parties, 

1.  The  parties  speak  alternately,  each  speaking 
twice. 

2.  The  prosecutor  opens,  and  the  accused  closes. 

3.  In  the  first  speeches  both  parties  confine  them- 
selves to  the  record. 

4.  In  the  second  speeches  each  one  must  confine 
himself  to  a  rejoinder  to  the  remarks  of  the 
other. 

These  reasonable  regulations  should  be  strictly  ad- 
hered to.     The  most  difficult  things  are: 

a.  To  prevent  the  parties  from  traveling  beyond 
the  record  in  their  first  addresses. 

b.  To  prevent  them  from  introducing  new  mat- 
ter in  their  second  speeches. 

This  is  especially  true  if  there  are  facts  in  their 
possession  which  they  have  not  been  able  to  prove  by 
legal  evidence,  or  if  any  part  of  the  testimony  has 
been  ruled  out.  The  attempt  to  drag  it  in  is  almost 
sure   to   be   made   in   the   hearing.    The   moderator 

219 


220        PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

should  be  very  careful  to  see  that  the  parties  under- 
stand clearly  the  limitations  under  which  they  are  to 
speak  before  they  begin,  or  there  will  be  complaints 
of  unfairness  when  they  are  unexpectedly  called  to 
order  and  refused  permission  to  follow  their  intended 
line  of  remark. 

5.  The  parties  may  be  questioned  by  the  members 
of  the  court. 

The  object  of  the  questioning  of  the  parties  is 
to  elicit  a  clearer  understanding  of  the  points  of  their 
argument.  But  the  moderator  must  restrain  the  mem- 
bers of  the  court  from  injecting  an  argument  into 
their  questions. — Book  of  Discipline,  Chap.  HI,  Sec. 
2,  If  27. 

II 

The  Removal  of  the  Parties. 

1.  This  is  done  by  motion. 

When  the  parties  have  been  fully  heard  in  com- 
ment on  the  testimony,  and  the  members  of  the  ju- 
dicatory have  asked  all  the  questions  they  desire  to 
have  answered,  a  motion  is  made  ''that  the  parties 
be  now  removed." 

2.  The  passing  of  this  motion  takes  the  parties 
from  the  floor  of  the  court. 

The  terms  have  a  technical  signification,  i.  e.,  that 
the  parties  are  now  deprived  of  any  further  part  in 
the  proceedings.  They  cannot  claim  the  floor  for  any 
purpose,  unless  recalled  by  motion  of  the  court. 

3.  The  parties  may  even  be  required  to  retire  from 
the  room. 

The  accused  always  has  the  right  to  be  present 
during  the  taking  of  testimony  and  to  meet  his  ac- 
cusers face  to  face;  but  in  canvassing  the  testimony, 
the  members  of  the  court  are  acting  both  as  jurors 


ISSUING  A  CASE  221 

and  as  judges  and  they  are  entitled  to  deliberate  in 
seclusion  if  they  deem  it  more  conducive  to  a  just 
decision. 

Questions  may  arise  in  settling  the  value  to  be  at- 
tached to  the  testimony  of  certain  witnesses,  or  where 
there  has  been  conflicting  testimony,  in  which  cir- 
cumstances the  session  should  be  alone.  No  injustice, 
therefore,  is  done  to  the  parties,  when  they  are  asked 
to  retire  from  the  session  room  after  they  have  been 
fully   heard. 

The  law  on  this  subject  is  not  explicitly  laid  down 
in  our  book,  and,  as  no  digest  exists  of  our  judicial 
procedure,  I  cannot  refer  you  to  specific  cases.  But 
the  Presbyterian  Book  is  explicit.  It  says :  "The 
judicatory  shall  then  go  into  private  session,  the  par- 
ties, their  counsel,  and  all  other  persons  not  memlDcrs 
of  the  body,  being  excluded ;  when,  after  careful  de- 
liberation, the  judicatory  shall  proceed  to  vote  on 
each  specification  and  on  each  charge  separately;  and 
judgment  shall  be  entered  accordingly." — Moore's  Di- 
gest, p.  626.  A  number  of  instances  are  cited  to  show 
that  the  rule  for  the  "removal  of  the  parties"  is  con- 
strued literally,  not  metaphorically. — General  Rules 
for  Judicatories,  Presbyterian  Form  of  Government, 
Nos.  38,  39. 

Ill 

Weighing  the  Evidence. 

I.     Points  of  order  are  to  be  decided  by  the  mod- 
erator; points  of  law  by  the  court. — Book  of 
Discipline,  Part  III,  Chap.  3,  Sec.  2. 
It  may  occur,  that,  in  applying  the  law  to  the  evi- 
dence   in   order   to   reach   a   decision,    questions   will 
arise  as  to  the  interpretation  of  the  law.     The  court 
itself  must  determine  this.     A  mere  point  of  order 


222        PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

the  moderator  is  competent  to  decide,  but  here,  as 
elsewhere,  his  decisions  are  subject  to  an  appeal  to 
the  court. — Book  of  Discipline,  Rules  of  Synod,  No. 
ip,  p.  125. 

2.  The  judgment  must  be  based  on  the  testimony 
before  the  court. 

The  rule  says:  "No  private  knowledge  possessed 
by  members  of  the  judicatory  shall  be  suffered  to 
influence  the  decision,  as  that  must  be  based  entirely 
upon  the  evidence  before  the  court." — Book  of  Dis- 
cipline, Chap.  HI,  ^  29. 

This  rule  is  right,  but  it  is  difficult  of  application. 
It  is  not  always  an  easy  thing  to  divest  one's  self 
of  preconceived  opinions  as  to  the  guilt  or  innocence 
of  the  accused.  It  may  compel  a  court,  for  the  want 
of  legal  evidence,  to  acquit  one  whom  they  are  mor- 
ally certain  is  guilty. 

3.  Where  there  is  moral  certainty  of  guilt,  but  not 
legal  evidence  to  convict,  the  decision  should 
be:  ''Not  proven." 

When  you  cannot  conscientiously  say,  "Not 
guilty,"  you  may  say,  conscientiously,  "Not  proven." 

4.  The  court,  in  weighing  the  testimony,  takes  ac- 
count of  the  credibility  of  the  witnesses. 

(i)     The  uncontradicted  testimony  of  unreliable 
witnesses  does  not  necessarily  convict  the  ac- 
cused. 
The  accused  is  held  innocent  until  proved  guilty; 
and  credibility  cannot  be  injected  into  the  testimony 
of   incredible   witnesses   by   increasing  their  number. 
Twice  naught  is  nothing,  and  ten  times  naught  is  no 
more. 

(2)     Can  the  accused  testify  in  his  own  case; 

and,  if  so,  what  weight  is  to  be  given  to  his 

testimony  ? 

I  do  not  find  anything  in  our  book  which  expressly 

determines  whether  or  not  an  accused  party  may  tes- 


ISSUING  A  CASE  223 

tify.  But  Synod  has  taken  action  bearing  on  the 
question.  In  the  Minutes  of  Synod  of  1867,  Report 
of  the  Committee  of  Discipline,  we  find  the  follow- 
ing: 

"No.  16  is  a  memorial  from  some  members  of  the 
Church  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Illinois  Pres- 
bytery. 

"They  ask  Synod  to  appoint  a  commission  to  re-try 
a  given  case  passed  upon  by  the  presbytery.  The 
chief  ground  on  which  they  rest  their  petition  is  the 
alleged  fact  that  the  accused  was  admitted  to  testify 
in  his  own  case,  and  that  his  testimony  formed  equally 
with  that  of  other  witnesses  the  basis  on  which  the 
verdict  was  rendered.  The  presbytery,  we  under- 
stand, conceded  the  allegation  to  be  correct.  It  is 
the  judgment  of  the  committee  that  on  this  point  the 
presbytery  essentially  erred.  It  is  not  allowed  in  our 
form  of  process ;  and,  in  a  criminal  case  like  the  pres- 
ent, we  are  not  aware  that  it  is  admitted  in  either 
civil  or  ecclesiastical  law. 

"The  committee  recommend  that  a  commission  be 
appointed  to  whom  the  case  shall  be  referred  for  ad- 
judication." 

Signed   5'.  0.  Wylie,  J.  L.  M'Cartney,  A.  Wright. 

The  report  was  adopted  and  the  commission  ap- 
pointed.    R.  P.  and  C,  1867,  p.  227. 

The  Minutes  of  Synod  of  1868,  and  R.  P.  and  C, 
p.  205,  contain  the  report  of  this  commission.  It 
contains  the  following  language: 

"Two  days  were  occupied  in  the  investigation  of 
the  case,  and  the  finding  was  substantially  that,  in 
so  far  as  the  charge  of  rape  was  concerned,  the  ac- 
cused was  not  guilty;  and,  in  so  far  as  the  charge  of 
adultery  was  concerned,  the  evidence  was  not  sufficient 
to  justify  a  legal  conviction. 

"The  want  of  sufficiency  lay  in  the  fact  that,  whereas 
there  were  but  two  witnesses  in  the  case,  the  commis- 


22.\        PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

sion  were  not  satisfied  as  to  the  credibility  of  one  of 
them.  The  testimony  of  the  other  witness  was  direct 
as  to  acknowledgment  of  guilt  upon  the  part  of  the 
accused,  and  the  commission  saw  no  ground  to  ques- 
tion the  veracity  of  the  sworn  statement." 

The  commission,  therefore,  recommended  Synod  to 
hear  the  testimony  and  pass  upon  the  case,  which 
Synod  did. —  R.  P.  and  C,  1868,  pp.  209,  210,  217. 

In  the  year  1869,  the  report  of  Lakes  Presbytery 
says:  "Some  of  our  number  insist  that  our  Discipline 
is  inconsistent  with  the  Bible  rule,  in  neither  allowing 
or  requiring  parties  to  give  testimony  in  their  own 
case.  Synod's  deliverance  is  asked  on  this  matter." — 
R.  P.  and  C,  1869,  p  230. 

The  matter  was  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Disci- 
pline, which  reported  as  follows :  'Tn  reference  to 
the  request  of  the  Presbytery  of  the  Lakes  for  advice 
concerning  the  admissibility  of  testimony  from  parties 
in  their  own  case,  we  recommend  that  this  Synod 
declare  that  it  lies  in  the  discretion  of  inferior 
courts  to  admit  such  testimony,  giving  it  the  weight 
to  which  in  their  judgment  it  may  seem  entitled.  See 
Book  of  Discipline,  page  76.  The  judicatory  must 
avail  itself  of  every  kind  of  information  accessible  to 
it,  the  members  using  their  own  discretion  in  impar- 
tially and  minutely  weighing  the  nature  of  the  testi- 
mony before  them." 

This  recommendation  was  not  adopted  but  was  laid 
on  the  table  till  next  Synod. —  R.  P.  and  C,  1869,  p. 
210. 

In  1870,  it  was  again  laid  over;  but  in  1871  it  was 
adopted. —  R.  P.  and  C,  1871,  page  200. 

It  would  seem  therefore  that  our  Synod  regards  it 
as  competent  for  parties  to  testify  in  their  own  behalf, 
the  court  to  decide  as  to  the  value  of  such  testimony. 
This,  however,  may  be  modified  by  the  rule  contained 
in  the  Book  of  Discipline,  Chap.  Ill,  Sec.  4,  ^  7.     "In 


ISSUING  A  CASE  ^25 

extreme  cases  where  proof  is  wanting,  an  oath  of 
purgation  may  be  admitted,  but  not  urged."  The 
form  of  the  purgation  oath  constitutes  it  the  sworn 
testimony  of  the  accused  in  his  own  behalf.  It  is  as 
follows :     "I,   A.   B.,   now   under  process   before  the 

,  for  the  sin  and  scandal  of charged  against 

me,  for  ending  of  said  process  and  giving  satisfaction 
to  the  Church  of  Christ,  do  most  solemnly  declare, 
before  God  and  the  court,  that  I  am  innocent  and  free 
of  said  sin;  and  hereby  call  the  living  God,  the  judge 
and  avenger  of  all  falsehood,  to  be  the  judge  and  wit- 
ness against  me  in  this  matter  if  I  be  guilty ;  as  I  shall 
answer  to  God  in  that  day  in  which  He  shall  judge  the 
world,  by  Jesus  Christ,  and  as  I  hope  to  be  partaker 
of  His  glory  in  heaven." — Book  of  Discipline,  pp.  136, 
137.  You  will  observe  that  this  purgation  oath  is 
only  to  be  admitted  ''where  proof  is  wanting,"  and 
then  only  at  the  discretion  of  the  session. 

5.  Circumstantial  evidence  may  have  great  weight, 
but  cannot  be  regarded  as  conclusive. 

It  is  a  fact  that,  in  some  cases,  circumstantial  evi- 
dence seems  stronger  than  direct  testimony,  but  it  is 
not  sufficient  to  stand  alone.  According  to  the  law, 
even  the  direct  testimony  of  a  single  witness,  how- 
ever clear  and  pointed  it  may  appear  to  be,  is  not  suffi- 
cient to  convict. 

The  United  Presbyterian  Book  contains  also  the  fol- 
lowing provision :  'Tf  the  testimony  taken  during  a 
trial  proves  a  sin  properly  denominated  by  another 
name  than  that  designated  in  the  libel,  while  the  spe- 
cific charge  of  the  libel  must  be  found  'not  proved,' 
the  accused  may  be  found  guilty  of  that  which  appears 
in  proof ;  but  sentence  shall  not  be  passed  until  further 
time  shall  be  given  him  for  defense,  if  he  demands  it 
and  justice  requires  it." — United  Presbyterian  Book, 
Part  III,  Chap.  IV,  \  14. 

The  principle  here  laid  down  is  no  doubt  correct; 


226        PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

but  the  orderly  method  would  seem  to  be  that,  when 
the  libel  is  found  to  be  thus  defective,  the  court  should 
arrest  proceedings  and  amend  the  libel;  and,  if  neces- 
sary, give  additional  time  to  the  accused;  and  then 
issue  the  case. 


IV 

The  Judgment  or  Decision. 

1.  The  accused  may  be  acquitted,  or  found  guilty 
in  whole  or  in  part. 

The  libel  may  contain  several  counts ;  in  this  case 
the  decision  should  be  made  on  each  count  separately. 

2.  The  judgment  should  be  fully  entered  on  the 
records. 

3.  The  records  should  embrace  the  reasons  for  all 
decisions,  except  on  questions  of  order. 

The  importance  of  a  full  and  complete  record  is 
seen  in  the  fact  that,  when  the  higher  court  comes  to 
review  the  case,  it  is  guided  entirely  by  the  record. — 
Book  of  Discipline,  Chap.  HI,  Sec.  2,  ff  30. 

V 

Fixing  the  Degree  of  Censure. 

If  the  accused  is  found  guilty,  the  next  prerogative 
of  the  court  is  to  determine  the  degree  of  the  penalty. 
The  Book  says:  "It  must  be  committed  to  the  dis- 
cretion of  ecclesiastical  judicatories  to  apportion  cen- 
sures to  scandals.  Were  a  specific  censure  appointed 
to  each  offense,  it  might  tend  to  prevent  the  end  of 
discipline  by  showing  to  every  one  who  is  tempted  to 
sin  the  price  at  which  he  may  procure  indulgence. 

"Cases  may  also  frequently  occur,  especially  when 


ISSUING  A  CASE  227 

the  process  is  conducted  in  the  name  of  individual 
accusers,  in  which  the  offense,  although  real,  may 
have  arisen  more  from  infirmity  than  criminal  de- 
sign, and  in  which  correction  is  better  obtained  by 
conciliation  than  reproof. 

"The  process  which  is  intended  to  remove  scandal, 
frequently,  from  the  misguided  zeal  or  passion  of  the 
parties  concerned,  generates  new  scandal  demanding 
Church  censure;  and  in  no  case  is  more  prudence  and 
delicacy  required  on  the  part  of  Church  officers,  to 
maintain  order,  to  discriminate,  and  to  administer 
promptly  due  censure  with  an  amiable  severity." — 
Book  of  Discipline,  Chap.  Ill,  Sec.  4,  ljj[  5,  6. 

1.  Five  kinds  of  censure  are  prescribed, 
(i)     Admonition. 

(2)  Rebuke. 

(3)  Suspension. 

(4)  Deposition. 

(5)  Excommunication. 

2.  Deposition  applies  only  to  officers ;  all  the  others 
apply  equally  to  officers  and  members. 

3.  There  are  degrees  of  severity  in  the  administra- 
tion of  the  different  kinds  of  censure. 

(i)     Admonition   and    rebuke   may  be   adminis- 
tered, 

a.  Once  or  more  frequently ; 

b.  In  private  or  publicly; 

c.  With  severity  in  proportion  to  the  scandal. 

(2)  Admonition  and  rebuke  differ  in  their  na- 
tures : 

a.  Admonition  consists  in  tender  reproof, 
warning,  exhortation ; 

b.  Rebuke  consists  in  setting  forth  the  char- 
acter of  the  offense  with  a  sharp  reproof 
for  it. 

(3)  Suspension  may  be  for  a  definite  time,  or 
until  there  is  evidence  of  reformation. 


228        PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

4.  The  nature  and  effect  of  these  different  kinds 
of  censure,  and  the  form  of  their  administration 
are  set  forth  in  the  Book  of  Discipline^  Chap. 
HI,  Sec.  4;  Chap.  IV,  Sees,  i,  2,  3. 


LECTURE  XXIV 
REMOVAL  OF  A  CASE  TO  A  HIGHER  COURT. 

One  of  the  distinguishing  characteristics  of  Pres- 
byterian government  is  the  subordination  of  the  lower 
courts  to  the  higher.  Every  decision  of  any  Church 
court,  except  the  highest,  is  subject  to  the  review  of  a 
superior  court;  and  the  humblest  member  in  the  body 
may  have  his  case  finally  adjudicated  in  the  highest 
court  of  the  Church. 

Proposition:  There  are  five  zmys  by  which  a  case 
may  come  under  the  judgment  of  the  higher  courts. 

I 
By  Reviezu  and  Control. 

I.  It  is  the  duty  of  all  inferior  courts  to  present 
their  records  to  the  next  superior  judicatory,  for 
review,  at  least  once  a  year. 

This  is  a  universal  law.  If  any  lower  court  neglects 
or  refuses  to  send  up  its  records,  the  higher  court 
may  issue  an  order  requiring  it  to  do  so  and  fixing 
a  time. 

Sessions  are  apt  to  be  careless  about  forwarding 
their  minute  books  to  presbytery.  This  is  a  disregard 
of  an  essential  principle  of  Presbyterianism.  I  charge 
you,  therefore,  as  pastors  to  be  punctual  in  submitting 
the  records  of  your  sessions  to  presbytery.  In  this 
way  all  the  judicial  proceedings  of  session  come  under 
the  review  of  the  presbytery;  and  those  of  the  pres- 
bytery come  under  the  review  of  the  Synod. 

229 


230        PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

2.  Matters  of  review. 

In  reviewing  the  records  of  an  inferior  court,  it  is 
proper  to  examine : 
(i)     Whether  the  proceedings  have  been  consti- 
tutional and  regular. 

(2)  Whether  the  record  is  full  and  accurate. 

(3)  Whether  the  minutes  are  properly  authenti- 
cated by  the  signature  of  the  moderator  and 
clerk — a  matter  of  frequent  correction. 

3.  The  superior  court  as  a  court  of  review  and 
control  may: 

(i)  Express  disapprobation  of  the  proceedings 
of  the  lower  court  and  enter  the  same  on 
its  own  minutes  and  on  the  book  reviewed. 

(2)  It  may  require  the  lower  court  to  review 
and  correct  its  own  proceedings. 

(3)  It  cannot  by  the  power  of  review  and  con- 
trol reverse  a  judicial  decision  of  a  lower 
court. 

(4)  If  the  records  of  a  lower  court  show  un- 
faithfulness in  the  exercise  of  discipline  in 
the  case  of  scandalous  sins,  the  superior 
court  may  cite  the  inferior  court  to  answer 
for  such  lack  of  fidelity. — Book  of  Disci- 
pline, Chap.  Ill,  Sec.  Ill,  1f|[  i,  2,  3;  United 
Presbyterian  Book,  Chap.  XII,  Art.  i. 

II 

By  Reference. 

A  reference  is  a  judicial  representation  in  writing, 
made  by  an  inferior  court  to  the  next  superior,  of  a 
matter  not  yet  decided. 

I.     Proper  cases  for  reference. 

(i)  Cases  which  the  inferior  court  feels  itself 
incompetent  to  decide. 


APPEAL  TO  HIGHER  COURT  231 

a.  Because  of  the  fewness  of  its  members  as 
compared  with  the  gravity  of  the  case;  or, 

b.  Because  of  the  relation  of  members  of  the 
session  to  the  parties ;  or, 

c.  Because  of  the  indefiniteness  of  the  law  in 
its  application  to  the  case. 

(2)  Cases  which  are  new  and  with  no  precedents 
to  guide  in  ordering. 

(3)  Cases  that  are  peculiarly  delicate  and  diffi- 
cult. ■ 

(4)  Cases,  the  settlement  of  which  may  estab- 
lish a  precedent  of  extensive  influence. 

The  influence  of  a  decision  may  extend  far  beyond 
the  bounds  of  a  congregation  and  affect  other  congre- 
gations of  the  presbytery,  or  over  the  whole  Church. 
Such  was  a  recent  reference  to  Pittsburgh  Presbytery 
to  determine  whether  membership  in  a  certain  organi- 
zation is  in  violation  of  the  Church's  testimony  as  to 
fellowship  with  secret  societies. 

(5)  Cases  on  which  the  members  of  the  lower 
court  are  divided. 

In  such  a  case  the  decision  of  the  lower  court  would 
fail  of  its  moral  effect,  and  might  do  more  harm  than 
good.  It  might  involve  some  principle  which  the  mi- 
nority would  feel  constrained  to  carry  to  the  higher 
court  by  complaint  or  appeal.  The  lower  court  might 
unanimously  agree  to  refer  it  to  the  higher  court  rather 
than  to  issue  the  case  and  have  it  appealed. 
2.     The  objects  sought  by  reference. 

(i)     It  may  be  simply  advice. 
When  this  is  the  object,  the  case  still  remains  in 
the  lower  court,  but  the  progress  of  the  trial  is  ar- 
rested until  advice  is  obtained  from  the  superior  court 
as  to  how  to  proceed. 

(2)  At  any  stage  of  the  trial  the  entire  case 
may  be  referred  to  the  superior  court  for 
final  decision. 


232        PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

a.  By  such  reference  the  lower  court  relin- 
quishes all  control  of  the  case. 

b.  In  any  case  of  reference  the  members  of 
the  lower  court  retain  all  their  privileges 
in  the  superior  court. 

(3)     Written  notice  of  reference  should  be  given 
to  the  parties  interested. 
3.     The   duty   of  the   superior  court  in  a  case   of 
reference: 
(i)     Usually    it    should    give    advice    when    re- 
quested. 

(2)  It  is  not  bound  to  give  a  final  judgment  in 
a  referred  case. 

(3)  It  may  remit  the  whole  case,  with  or  with- 
out advice,  to  the  court  from  which  it  was 
referred. 

Our  Book  does  not  encourage  frequent  use  of  the 
privilege  of  reference.  It  says:  ''Such  references 
should  be  made  sparingly  and  only  when  absolutely 
necessary  or  highly  expedient.  Ordinarily  inferior 
courts  should  complete  whatever  comes  before  them." 
— Book  of  Discipline,  Chap.  Ill,  Sec.  Ill,  jfTf  i,  2,  3,  4; 
United  Presbyterian  Book,  Chap.  XII,  Art.  II,  fl  1-6. 


Ill 

By  Protest  and  Appeal. 

1.  An  appeal  is  the  removal  of  a  case,  already  de- 
cided, from  an  inferior  to  the  next  superior 
court. 

2.  Either  of  the  parties  may  protest  and  appeal. 
The  Book  says  expressly  that  none  hut  parties  can 

appeal.  The  United  Presbyterian  law,  however,  pro- 
vides that :  'Tn  all  cases  where  the  purity  of  the 
Church  and  the  interests  of  truth  and  righteousness 


APPEAL  TO  HIGHER  COURT  233 

are  injuriously  affected  by  a  decision,  any  member  of 
the  court  may  appeal." — United  Presbyterian  Book, 
Chap.  XII,  Art.  Ill,  Sec.  3. 

3.  The  protest  may  be  against  the  whole  or  any 
part  of  the  proceedings  or  of  the  sentence. 

4.  The  fact  of  the  appeal  and  the  reasons  for  it 
must  be  made  known  as  soon  as  the  party  is 
notified  of  the  decision. 

A  case  may  be  decided  in  the  absence  of  the  ac- 
cused. In  such  a  case  he  is  not  to  be  deprived  of  his 
right  to  appeal,  provided  he  gives  notice  as  soon  as  he 
is  informed. 

5.  The  appeal  must  be  delivered  in  writing  to  the 
clerk  of  the  court  within  two  weeks  after  notice 
of  appeal. 

6.  Parties  are  entitled  to  such  extracts  from  the 
minutes  as  are  necessary  to  make  out  their 
papers ;  these  extracts  to  be  made  by  the  clerk. — 
Book  of  Discipline,  Chap.  Ill,  Sec.  Ill,  U  3, 
Nos.  1-3. 


IV 

By  Complaint. 

1.  A  complaint  is  a  statement  made  to  a  superior 
court  by  a  member,  or  members,  of  an  inferior 
court ;  or  by  any  other  person,  or  persons,  re- 
garding a  decision  by  which  they  are  aggrieved. 

2.  The  same  rules  as  to  time  and  reasons  apply 
as  in  the  case  of  appeals. 

3.  It  may  result  in  censure  upon  the  inferior  court, 
or  in  a  reversal  of  the  decision  complained  of. 

4.  In  most  cases  the  members  of  the  inferior  court 
are  entitled  to  act  in  the  final  decision  in  the 
superior  court. 


234        PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

5.  If  the  complaint  charges  the  lower  court  with 
injustice  and  wrong,  its  members  cannot  vote 
on  the  question  of  sustaining  the  complaint. 

The  rule  reads  as  follows :  "Here,  and  in  cases  of 
appeals,  the  members  of  the  inferior  judicatory  are 
entitled  to  act  in  the  final  decision  of  the  case.  This 
shall  not  apply  to  complaints  charging  the  lower  court 
with  injustice  and  wrong." 

On  this  point  our  law  differs  from  both  the  Pres- 
byterian and  the  United  Presbyterian  laws. 

The  Presbyterian  Book  says:  "Members  of  judi- 
catories appealed  from  cannot  be  allowed  to  vote  in 
the  superior  judicatory  on  any  question  connected  with 
the  appeal."  This  law  is  repeated  in  the  same  terms, 
as  applying  to  complaints. — Book  of  Govt.,  Chap.  VH, 
Sec.  HI,  1[  12,  and  Sec.  IV,  If  7. 

The  United  Presbyterian  Book  says :  "Where  a 
matter  is  transferred  in  any  of  these  ways,"  (i.  e.,  re- 
view, reference,  appeal,  complaint  and  declinature) 
"from  an  inferior  to  a  superior  court,  except  in  the 
case  of  reference,  the  members  of  the  inferior  court 
shall  have  the  right  to  sit  and  deliberate,  but  not  to 
vote." — United  Presbyterian  Book  of  Disc,  and  Govt., 
Chap.  XII,  ^  3. 

Previous  to  1863,  our  own  Book  of  Discipline  also 
excluded  the  lower  court.  By  our  present  Book,  the 
only  member  of  the  higher  judicatory  who  is  excluded 
from  voting  on  an  appeal  is  a  member  who  may  be 
appointed  by  the  court  or  requested  by  the  appellant 
to  act  for  him,  and  who  does  so  act. 

The  amended  rule  is  cle^ly  right.  The  underlying 
principle  is  that  the  lower  court,  in  conducting  a  case, 
even  where  the  court  is  the  prosecutor,  is  not  to  be 
considered  a  party,  merely,  but  is  also  judge  and  jury; 
and  for  many  reasons  they  may  be  more  capable  of 
forming  a  correct  judgment  in  the  case  than  the  other 
members  of  the  supreme  judicatory.     To  rule  them 


APPEAL  TO  HIGHER  COURT  235 

out  of  a  participation  in  the  final  decision  might  thwart 
the  very  ends  of  justice. 

But  there  is  an  exception  to  the  law  permitting  them 
to  deliberate  and  vote  on  the  case  when  transferred 
to  the  superior  court.  It  says :  "This  shall  not  apply 
to  complaints  charging  the  lower  court  with  injustice 
and  wrong." 

This,  again,  is  manifestly  right,  because,  if  the  lower 
court  has  been  guilty  of  injustice  and  wrong,  they  are 
thereby  disqualified  for  sitting  on  any  case,  and  this 
is  a  question  which  should  be  submitted  to  the  decision 
of  their  brethren. 

But  here,  again,  the  general  complaint  of  ''in justice 
and  wrong"  is  not  sufficient  to  disqualify  them;  but 
the  complaint  must  set  forth  wherein  the  injustice  and 
wrong  consisted ;  and,  if  it  is  such  as,  if  proved,  would 
call  for  censure  on  the  lower  court,  then  the  members 
should  be  excluded  from  voting,  because  they  have 
now  become  a  party  on  trial,  and  are  brought  to  the 
bar  of  the  superior  court.  But  if  the  complaint  did 
not  specify  anything  involving  censure  if  sustained, 
but  simply  an  error  in  judgment,  they  have  as  good  a 
right  to  sit  on  the  case  as  any  other  members  of  the 
superior  court. 

For  a  very  clear  and  able  discussion  of  this  subject, 
I  refer  you  to  an  editorial  by  Rev.  J.  C.  K.  Milligan  in 
Our  Banner,  1883,  p.  271.  An  appeal  had  been  brought 
before  Synod  from  action  of  the  New  York  Presby- 
tery. The  moderator  ruled  that  New  York  Presby- 
tery could  not  deliberate  or  vote  on  the  case.  Appeal 
was  taken  from  the  moderator's  decision,  but  Synod 
denied  the  appeal  and  sustained  the  moderator's  de- 
cision. Afterwards  this  article  appeared,  and  the 
moderator,  after  reading  it,  was  convinced  that  his 
decision  had  been  in  error. 


236        PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 


By  Declinature  or  Interlocutory  Appeal. 

1.  Any  one  concerned  in  a  trial  may  decline  the 
authority  of  the  court  and  appeal  to  the  next 
higher  court. 

2.  The  grounds  upon  which  such  declinature  may 
be  made  are : 

a.  That  the  court  has  no  cognizance  of  the  case. 

b.  That  the  court  is  acting  illegally. 

c.  That  the  court  is  evidently  partial. 

If  a  session  proposed  to  put  the  pastor  on  trial  be- 
fore itself,  he  could  decline,  on  the  ground  that  the 
session  has  no  cognizance  in  the  case ;  if  it  attempted 
to  proceed  to  trial  without  deciding  on  the  relevancy 
of  the  libel,  the  accused  could  decline  its  authority 
because  the  session  was  proceeding  illegally;  or,  if 
the  session  were  evidently  partial,  having  prejudged 
the  case  or  being  too  closely  related  to  one  of  the  par- 
ties, either  party  could  decline  its  authority. 

3.  The  declinature  does  not  necessarily  arrest  the 
process. 

The  inferior  court  may,  if  it  sees  fit,  proceed  to 
issue  the  case  subject  to  the  annulling  of  its  proceed- 
ings if  the  declinature  is  sustained. 

4.  If  the  declinature  is  not  sustained,  the  party  de- 
clining must  abide  by  the  decision  of  the  lower 
court  without  appeal. 

It  is  usually  much  the  safer  and  better  course  to 
allow  the  lower  court  to  proceed;  and,  instead  of 
making  the  objections  the  ground  of  declinature,  to 
make  them  the  ground  of  appeal  or  complaint. — Book 
of  Discipline,  Chap.  Ill,  Sec.  Ill,  ^][  1-3. 


APPEAL  TO  HIGHER  COURT  237 

VI 

Miscellaneous  Remarks. 

1.  Besides  these  ways  of  judicial  procedure,  every 
member  of  the  church  has  access  to  the  superior 
judicatories  by  petition  for  redress  of  griev- 
ances. 

2.  All  petitions,  complaints,  appeals,  and  remon- 
strances addressed  to  a  superior  court  must  be 
laid  before  inferior  courts  for  transference. 

3.  The  moderator  and  clerk  must  certify  on  the 
document  that  it  has  been  regularly  transferred. 

4.  If  an  inferior  court  refuse  to  transfer  a  peti- 
tion or  other  lawful  paper,  the  party  has  a  right 
to  protest  against  the  refusal,  and,  by  virtue  of 
his  protest,  it  proceeds  to  the  higher  court. — 
Book  of  Discipline,  Chap.  Ill,  Sec.  II,  IJlf  5-10. 

5.  It  is  the  duty  of  the  moderator  to  inform  par- 
ties of  the  steps  necessary  to  carry  up  a  case. 

Of  course,  a  pastor  would  much  prefer  not  to  have 
cases  carried  from  his  session  to  presbytery.  When 
he  feels  that  the  session  has  acted  righteously  and 
judiciously  he  may  seek  to  dissuade  parties  from  com- 
plaint or  appeal.  At  the  same  time  he  should  recog- 
nize their  rights,  and,  in  case  they  desire  to  exercise 
these  rights,  he  should,  if  requested,  inform  them  of 
the  orderly  course  of  procedure. 

6.  The  party  carrying  up  a  case  must  abide  by  the 
decision  of  the  lower  court  until  it  is  reviewed 
by  the  higher  court. 

The  failure  to  do  this  renders  the  party  liable  to 
have  his  case  dismissed  by  the  superior  court  for  con- 
tempt. However  certain  he  may  be  that  the  lower 
court  has  erred,  he  cannot  take  on  himself  to  set  aside 
its  decision.  The  synod  of  1891  acted  on  this  princi- 
ple.—  R.  P.  and  C,  1891. 


238        PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

7.  No  professional  counsel  is  permitted  to  conduct 
a  case  before  an  ecclesiastical  court. 

All  the  Presbyterian  books  agree  on  this,  and  their 
courts  have  enforced  the  rule.  In  some  cases  a  mem- 
ber of  the  court  may  be  appointed  to  represent  a  party 
who  is  not  capable  of  conducting  his  own  case.  The 
member  thus  employed  cannot  sit  or  vote  on  the  case. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  follow  a  case  into  the 
superior  courts,  but  the  limits  of  time  will  not  permit 
us  to  pursue  the  subject  further.  There  are  usually 
experienced  members  in  these  courts  who  will  take  the 
lead  in  conducting  judicial  cases.  Precedent  is  a 
strong  law,  and  precedent  may  be  studied  in  the 
Church  records.  Make  your  cases  strong  in  the  ses- 
sion and  in  the  presbytery  and  they  will  not  be  carried 
higher. 

Let  me  close,  young  gentlemen,  by  reminding  you 
of  the  exalted  purposes  for  which  Christ,  the  Church's 
Head,  has  appointed  her  discipline ;  that  its  exercise  is 
not  to  be  feebly  set  aside,  but  is  to  be  maintained  with 
a  dignity  and  sobriety  becoming  to  the  courts  of  the 
Lord's  house, 

'The  elders  which  are  among  you  I  exhort  who 
am  also  an  elder,  and  a  witness  of  the  sufferings  of 
Christ,  and  also  a  partaker  of  the  glory  that  shall  be 
revealed :  Feed  the  flock  of  God  which  is  among  you, 
taking  the  oversight  thereof,  not  by  constraint,  but 
willingly;  not  for  filthy  lucre,  but  of  a  ready  mind; 
neither  as  being  lords  over  God's  heritage,  but  being 
ensamples  to  the  flock.  And  when  the  Chief  Shepherd 
shall  appear,  ye  shall  receive  a  crown  of  glory  that 
fadeth  not  away." — I  Peter  v,  1-4. 


LECTURE  XXV 

THE  PASTOR  IN  THE  HIGHER  COURTS  OF 
THE  CHURCH 

The  minister,  by  virtue  of  his  office,  is  a  constituent 
member  of  Presbytery  and  Synod.  It  will  be  the  pur- 
pose of  this  lecture  to  discuss  his  duties  in  his  relation 
to  these  superior  courts. 


The  Minister  Should  Regularly  Attend  All  the  Church 
Courts  of  Which  He  is  a  Member. 

1.  He  is  bound  to  this  by  his  ordination  vows. 
One  of  the  queries  put  to  candidates  for  ordination 

is :  "Do  you  promise  in  the  strength  of  divine  grace 
.  .  .  to  attend  punctually  the  meetings  of  the  session 
and  of  the  superior  judicatories  when  called  there- 
unto, judging  faithfully  in  the  house  of  God?"  This 
promise  is  to  be  as  faithfully  kept  as  any  other  of 
these  solemn  engagements.  Murphy  says :  ''The  rule 
of  regular  attendance  should  be  laid  down  as  inviola- 
ble. .  .  .  Duty  to  God,  duty  to  the  Church,  and  duty 
to  himself,  all  require  the  pastor  to  do  his  part." 

2.  Because  he  has  a  relation  to  the  whole  flock. 
The  minister's  relation  to  a  particular  congregation 

depends  upon  his  installation  as  its  pastor;  but,  by 
virtue  of  his  ordination  to  the  office  of  the  ministry, 
he  has  a  pastoral  relation  to  the  whole  Church. 

Some  question  the  right  of  ministers  who  are  not 
239 


240        PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

pastors,  to  sit  in  the  higher  courts ;  and  intimations 
are  not  infrequently  made  that  professors  in  the  Col- 
lege and  in  the  Theological  Seminary,  unsettled  minis- 
ters, and  missionaries,  home  and  foreign,  are  not 
properly  constituent  members  of  the  courts. 

The  Minutes  of  Synod,  1849,  P-  I3i>  contains  the 
record  of  a  motion  to  erase  from  the  roll  of  the  con- 
stituent members  of  Synod  the  name  of  one  of  our 
ministers,  for  the  reason  that  he  had  never  been  in- 
stalled by  any  court  of  the  Lord's  house  to  exercise 
rule.  This  motion  was  negatived  and  the  name  of  the 
minister  was  kept  on  the  roll.  The  facts  were  that 
the  minister  had  been  ordained  by  Pittsburgh  Presby- 
tery at  the  request  of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions, 
to  l3e  sent  out  as  a  missionary  to  Syria. 

The  objection  to  ministers  who  have  been  regularly 
ordained,  but  who  are  without  pastoral  charge,  is 
utterly  without  foundation.  The  ruling  power  be- 
longs to  the  ministerial  office.  By  virtue  of  his  rela- 
tion to  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  the  chief  Shepherd,  the 
minister  is  pastor  of  the  flock. 

There  are  good  reasons  why  presbyteries  should  not, 
unnecessarily,  ordain  men  to  the  ministry,  sine  titulo, 
i.  e.,  without  a  call  to  a  particular  charge ;  but,  when 
the  court  decides  that  special  circumstances  warrant 
such  ordination,  it  is  unreasonable  to  deny  the  or- 
dained one  his  right  to  exercise  the  functions  of  the 
office  with  which  he  has  been  clothed.  Our  Synod  has 
always  adhered  to  this  view  of  the  office. 

3.  He  cannot  do  his  duty  as  a  pastor  if  he  neglects 
the  superior  courts. 

The  pastor  is  the  connecting  link  between  the  con- 
gregation and  the  higher  courts.  It  belongs  to  the 
presbytery  and  the  Synod  to  map  out  the  public  work 
of  the  church.  Her  educational  institutions ;  her  mis- 
sionary enterprises ;  her  reform  measures ;  her  benevo- 
lent   schemes:    all    these    public    interests    are    under 


HIGHER  CHURCH  COURTS  241 

control  of  the  presbyteries  and  the  Synod.  And,  be- 
sides these,  the  higher  courts  exercise  supervision  over 
the  congregational  life  in  the  matter  of  Sabbath 
schools,  young  people's  societies,  the  exercise  of  disci- 
pline and  the  services  of  worship. 

Now  it  is  not  only  the  duty  of  the  pastor  as  a  con- 
stituent member  of  these  courts  to  bear  the  full  meas- 
ure of  his  responsibility,  but  it  is  his  duty  as  a  pastor 
to  carry  back  to  his  people  a  full  account  of  the  plans 
and  purposes  of  the  Church;  and,  more  than  that,  to 
translate  these  plans  into  the  actual  life  of  the  people 
of  his  charge.  A  pastor  who  neglects  attendance  upon 
the  higher  courts  cannot  be  a  good  pastor  in  this 
regard. 

The  custom  of  many  of  the  best  pastors  is  to  take 
the  first  service  after  returning  from  Synod  to  lay 
before  the  people  a  full  account  of  the  important  busi- 
ness of  Synod,  preaching  from  such  texts  as  Psalm 
xlviii,  12-13:  "Walk  about  Zion";  Isaiah  xxxiii,  20: 
''Look  upon  Zion,  the  city  of  our  solemnities" ;  Isaiah 
liv,  2 :  ''Lengthen  thy  cords  and  strengthen  thy  stakes.'' 

4.     The  pastor  needs  it  for  his  own  personal  good. 

Pastors  who  have  always  lived  in  the  central  places 
of  the  Church,  where  they  have  frequent  meetings  with 
brethren,  do  not  realize  what  advantages  they  derive 
from  this  companionship;  and  those  living  in  the 
regions  beyond  do  not  know  the  extent  of  their  losses. 
But  regular  attendance  upon  Church  courts  is  needful 
for  all.  The  money  spent  on  the  traveling  fund  is  not 
wasted. 

II 

The  Minister  Should  Aim  to  he  Present  During  the 
Whole  of  the  Sessions  of  the  Court. 

Murphy  says :  "Connected  with  this  matter  of  at- 
tendance is  another  which  ought  not  to  be  passed  over 


242        PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

without  a  word  of  notice;  namely,  that  of  staying  to 
the  close  of  the  sessions.  This  caution  is  rendered 
necessary  by  the  conduct  of  many  who  come  in  per- 
haps after  the  opening  services,  and  then,  in  an  hour 
or  two,  or  at  least  long  before  the  session's  close,  go 
away  and  leave  their  brethren  to  finish  the  business 
as  best  they  can.  They  might  almost  as  well  not  come 
at  all.  The  result  of  this  habit  is  to  leave  the  greater 
part  of  the  business  to  be  hurried  through  at  the  close 
by  a  mere  handful  of  the  members." 
The  following  suggestions  are  made: 

1.  Never  withdraw  from  a  Church  court  without 
leave  of  absence. 

To  do  so  is  in  violation  of  a  specific  law.  Book  of 
Discipline,  p.  130,  Rule  46:  "No  member  shall  retire 
from  the  judicatory  without  leave  of  the  moderator; 
or  withdraw  from  it  to  return  home  without  the  con- 
sent of  the  judicatory."  A  member  may  slip  out  with- 
out being  noticed  by  the  moderator  or  by  any  member 
of  the  court,  but  if  he  does  he  is  in  disorder. 

2.  Never,  unnecessarily,  ask  to  be  excused. 

Even  if  you  are  assured  that  the  court  will  grant 
your  request,  that  does  not  justify  your  action.  You 
have  solemnly  vowed  that  you  will  attend  to  these 
duties;  do  not  break  your  vow,  even  by  leave  of  the 
court. 

3.  Never  withdraw  from  a  Church  court  in  order 
to  show  your  dissatisfaction  with  its  proceed- 
ings. 

One  of  our  old  ministers,  now  departed,  was  noted 
for  his  practice  of  leaving  Synod  before  the  close  of 
its  sessions.  On  one  occasion  he  arose,  as  his  custom 
was,  and  asked  to  be  allowed  to  return  home.  Being 
asked  to  state  his  reasons  he  replied  that  he  had  rea- 
sons "both  positive  and  negative"  for  desiring  to  be 
excused.  The  request  was  granted  and  he  passed  out. 
Later,  when  asked  what  he  meant  by  "positive"  and 


HIGHER  CHURCH  COURTS  243 

"negative"  reasons,  he  explained:  '1  have  an  excel- 
lent wife  and  children  at  home  and  I  long  to  be  with 
them ;  that  is  the  positive  reason ;  I  am  disgusted  with 
the  Synod,  and  want  to  get  away ;  that  is  the  negative 
reason." 

Leaving  a  Church  court  for  negative  reasons  is 
wholly  unwarranted.  There  are  regular  methods  of 
expressing  your  dissatisfaction  with  the  course  of  pro- 
cedure. In  all  but  the  supreme  judicatory  you  can 
protest  and  complain  to  the  next  superior  court.  And 
in  the  highest  court  you  can  enter  your  dissent  on  the 
records,  with  your  reasons  for  it.  But  to  express  your 
disapproval  by  withdrawing  from  the  court  is  unjus- 
tifiable in  any  ordinary  circumstances,  and  is  in  its 
nature  revolutionary. 

Ill 

Every    Minister    Should    Accept    His   Share    of    the 
Onerous  Labors  of  the  Church  Courts. 

I.  He  should  accept  the  position  of  an  officer  of 
the  court  when  duly  called  thereunto. 

It  is  unseemly  for  a  minister  to  seek  his  own  pro- 
motion, but  to  shirk  all  responsibility  is  unfaithfulness. 
I  recall  a  scene  in  our  presbytery  when  a  young  minis- 
ter was  reelected  clerk  after  having  served  one  term. 
In  a  very  abrupt  manner  he  resented  it  as  an  impo- 
sition. Another  was  named  for  the  place  and  he 
peremptorily  declared  that  he  had  served  his  term 
and  would  not  take  it  again.  Another  and  yet  another 
were  nominated  with  like  result.  Then  the  aged  pas- 
tor of  the  congregation  where  the  court  had  met  arose 
and  said  that  if  all  these  young  ministers  regarded  it 
as  such  an  imposition  to  be  asked  to  keep  the  records, 
he  had  several  excellent  old  women  in  his  congregation 
that  could  do  it  very  well  and  he  would  call  in  one 
of  them.     There  was  no  further  declining. 


244        PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

The  young  minister  should  seek  to  acquaint  himself 
with  the  duties  of  the  several  offices,  and  then,  when 
duly  called  thereto,  undertake  the  work  cheerfully  and 
execute  it  faithfully. — Book  of  Discipline,  pp.  121-130, 
Rules. 

2.  He  should  not  decline  the  chairmanship  of  im- 
portant committees  on  account  of  the  labor 
involved. 

There  are  certain  regular  committees  in  presbytery 
and  Synod  that  impose  heavy  tasks  upon  the  chairman. 
A  new  member  naturally  shrinks  from  this  position. 
There  may  be  good  reasons  for  one's  declining,  but 
not  simply  on  account  of  the  labor.  A  young  minister 
might  decline  to  act  as  chairman  of  the  committee  of 
discipline  if  he  knew  that  intricate  cases  or  difficult 
questions  were  to  be  referred  to  it  immediately.  So 
with  the  committee  of  supplies,  on  account  of  his  lack 
of  acquaintance  with  the  congregations  and  mission 
stations,  or  the  laborers  to  be  assigned;  or  the  com- 
mittee of  finance,  because  of  his  ignorance  of  the  finan- 
cial operations  and  methods  of  the  Church.  In  such 
cases  a  young  minister  may  ask  to  be  relieved  of  the 
chairmanship,  though  willing  to  serve  in  a  subordinate 
place  on  the  committee.  But  he  must  not  decline  on 
account  of  the  labor;  there  is  ample  compensation  in 
the  knowledge  acquired  by  serving  on  such  committees. 

The  duties  of  the  chairman  of  a  committee  are : 
(i)     To  take  charge  of  all  the  papers  or  items 
referred  to  his  committee. 

It  is  the  duty  of  the  assistant  clerk  to  place  these  in 
his  hands ;  but  it  is  also  his  duty  to  look  after  them. 

(2)  To  analyze  the  matters  so  as  to  be  able  to 
submit  them  to  the  committee. 

(3)  To  call  the  committee  together  for  consul- 
tation and  to  agree  on  the  general  terms  of 
the  report  on  each  item. 

(4)  To  formulate,  and  to  write  out,  the  report. 


HIGHER  CHURCH  COURTS  245 

(5)  To  convene  the  committee  to  hear,  amend, 
and  adopt  the  report. 

(6)  To  submit  the  report  to  the  court,  and,  if 
necessary,  to  explain  and  defend  it. 

(7)  He  should  be  careful  not  to  overlook  the 
elders  on  the  committee. 

3.     He  should  not  refuse  duties  because  they  are 
in  their  nature  unpleasant. 

There  are,  occasionally,  peculiarly  unpleasant  duties 
to  be  performed.  The  faithful  minister  will  not  re- 
fuse to  act  on  account  of  their  unpleasantness.  Some 
one  must  attend  to  them,  and,  if  you  refuse  to  bear 
your  share,  it  implies  that  you  do  not  love  your  neigh- 
bor as  yourself. 

Among  the  most  common  of  the  unpleasant  duties 
may  be  named : 

(i)     Commissions    to    investigate    scandals,    or 
settle  troubles,  in  congregations. 

It  is  usually  difficult  to  secure  persons  who  are  will- 
ing to  act  on  such  commissions.  The  position  is  un- 
desirable. Not  all  of  the  members  are  going  to  be 
required  to  go  into  it.  In  these  circumstances  it  is 
unseemly  for  ministers  to  take  very  modest  views  of 
their  fitness  to  perform  these  duties.  Such  diffidence 
carried  to  an  extreme  becomes  a  sin. 

(2)  Acting  as  prosecutor  in  cases  of  discipline. 
When  the  court  becomes  the  accuser,  it  is  usual  to 

appoint  one  or  more  of  the  constituent  members  to 
act  as  prosecutor.  It  is  an  unenviable  position.  The 
person  that  fills  it  almost  invariably  incurs  the  tem- 
porary displeasure  of  the  accused  party  and  his  friends. 
One  may  be  called  upon  to  prosecute  a  most  intimate 
personal  friend. 

(3)  Defending   the   action   of   the   lower   court 
before  the  higher  court. 

This  is  a  peculiarly  trying  position,  especially  where 
the  matter  involves   personalities;  and   in  trials   for 


246       PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

heresy ;  or  involving  questions  on  which  the  Church 
is  divided.  The  person  selected  in  such  cases  to  rep- 
resent the  inferior  court,  becomes,  for  the  time  being, 
the  target  for  the  shots  of  the  opposing  forces ;  and, 
if  vital  issues  are  involved,  the  responsibility  of  the 
position  may  be  almost  overwhelming.  I  can  only  say, 
when  such  a  duty  is  put  to  you,  stand  up  to  it.  Do 
not  study  how  to  evade  it,  but  how  to  meet  it.  Such 
duties  demand  high  qualifications — such  as : 

a.  Acquaintance  with  the  doctrines,  and  pres- 
byterial  order  of  the  Church.  To  be  a  good 
presbyter  the  minister  must  be  familiar  with 
the  principles  of  Presbyterianism. 

b.  Independence  of  men,  begotten  by  the  true 
fear  of  God.  No  one  devoid  of  this  quali- 
fication should  ever  be  appointed  to  deal 
with  serious  cases  of  discipline;  especially 
where  the  faith  and  practice  of  the  Church 
are  to  be  defended. 

c.  A  peace-loving  spirit.  ''Blessed  are  the 
peacemakers,  for  they  shall  be  called  the 
children  of  God."  I  put  this  last  because 
this  is  the  divine  order:  "First  pure,  then 
peaceable." 

The  purity  of  the  Church  is  more  sacred  than  her 
peace.  One  who  w^ould  flinch  under  fire  and  who 
would  sacrifice  purity  for  the  sake  of  peace  has  not 
the  highest  qualifications  for  filling  these  difficult  posi- 
tions. At  the  same  time  it  is  essential  that  he  be  a 
lover  of  peace.  The  man  who  eagerly  accepts  these 
duties  just  because  he  delights  in  conflict,  is  one  who 
is  eminently  disqualified  for  their  right  discharge. 

I  therefore  counsel  these  three  things: 

A.  Cultivate  those  high  qualities  which  are 
necessary  for  the  discharge  of  these  diffi- 
cult, important,  and  yet  unpleasant  duties. 

B.  Use  every  right  endeavor  to  avoid  the  ne- 


HIGHER  CHURCH  COURTS  247 

cessity  of  their  being  performed  by  any 
one. 
C.  When  they  become  necessary  and  you  are 
lawfully  called  thereto,  accept  them  as 
from  Christ,  perform  them  in  His  fear, 
and  depend  on  His  strength  for  success. 

IV 

The  Minister  Should  Participate  Actively  in  the  Dis- 
cussions and  Decisions  of  the  Judicatory. 

It  is  a  misfortune  that  the  business  of  Church  courts 
is  so  largely  transacted  by  a  small  minority  of  the 
members. 

1.  Members  should  give  constant  attention  to  the 
matters  before  the  court. 

It  is  often  remarked  to  the  discredit  of  our  state 
and  national  legislatures  that  the  members  manifest 
the  utmost  indifference,  even  when  matters  of  great 
importance  are  pending.  Such  an  attitude  in  Church 
courts  is  inexcusable.  It  is  very  aggravating  when 
members  engage  in  conversation  or  reading  until  a 
motion  is  about  to  be  put,  and  then  spring  to  their 
feet  with :  ''Mr.  Moderator,  please  state  the  motion," 
or  peremptorily :  "I  call  for  the  reading  of  the  paper." 

2.  A  member  should  not  speak  unless  he  has  some- 
thing to  say. 

This  certainly  does  not  need  to  be  argued,  but  ex- 
perience proves  that  it  does  need  to  be  said. 

3.  The  converse  of  that  is  not  true. 

Even  if  you  have  something  to  say,  it  does  not  fol- 
low that  you  should  speak.  If  you  have  already 
spoken  on  the  subject,  give  others  an  opportunity. 
Perhaps  some  one  else  will  say  it  and  make  it  unneces- 
sary for  you  to  rise  a  second  time.  It  is  particularly 
offensive  when  a  young  minister,  just  after  being  ad- 


248        PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

mitted  to  the  Church  courts,  assumes  direction  of  the 
business. 

4.  One  should  be  deferential  to  the  rights  of  others. 
It  is  always  becoming  for  a  young  member  to  yield 

the  floor  to  an  aged  member  who  may  rise  at  the  same 
time  with  himself.  The  same  is  true  when  an  elder 
wishes  to  speak.  It  looks  well  for  the  minister,  who 
is  a  constituent  member  of  the  court,  to  give  way  to 
the  elder,  who  but  seldom  has  the  opportunity  and 
who  usually  is  diffident  about  claiming  the  privilege. 
It  is  in  unusually  bad  taste  for  one  who  has  spoken 
several  times  on  a  motion  to  call  out,  ''Question,  ques- 
tion," when  others  who  have  not  spoken  at  all  are 
desiring  to  be  heard. 

5.  When  one  knows  beforehand  that  he  is  likely 
to  speak,  he  should  make  careful  preparation. 

You  will  soon  observe  in  Synod  that  there  are  a  few 
men  who  always  receive  careful  attention  and  another 
few  who  can  scarcely  obtain  a  respectful  hearing.  In 
both  instances  it  is  a  case  of  reaping  what  has  been 
sown.  A  deliberative  body  soon  avenges  itself  on  the 
member  who  habitually  delivers  a  harangue  or  a  dia- 
tribe in  place  of  an  address. 

Dr.  S.  O.  Wylie  was  noted  for  his  ability  to  sway 
the  decisions  of  Synod.  I  have  heard  it  affirmed  that 
one  secret  of  his  power  was  his  skill  in  choosing  his 
time  to  speak.  If  he  knew  beforehand  that  important 
subjects  were  to  be  discussed  he  prepared  with  great 
care  and  then  aimed  to  make  the  opening  address.  If 
questions  were  sprung  on  him  unawares  he  remained 
silent,  carefully  noting  the  arguments  on  each  side, 
while  he  prepared  himself  to  make  the  closing  speech. 

It  is  doubtful  whether  he  was  conscious  of  any  such 
deliberate  plan,  but  his  faithful  attendance  upon  the 
Church's  interests  and  his  wisdom  and  skill  as  a  de- 
bater resulted  in  such  a  command  of  his  resources ; 
and  he  always  knew  when  to  speak.     There  is  a  sug- 


HIGHER  CHURCH  COURTS  249 

gestive  Scripture  passage  which  may  cross  your  minds 
even  when  sitting  in  a  church  court :  "O  that  ye 
would  akogether  hold  your  peace!  and  it  should  be 
your  wisdom." 


As  a  Presbyter,  the  Minister  Should  Keep  Constantly 
in  Viezv  the  Great  Interests  of  the  Church  and 
Kingdom  of  God. 

Our  Church  courts  are  too  much  occupied  with 
tedious  discussions  of  comparatively  insignificant  mat- 
ters. This  is  greatly  to  be  deprecated.  Presbyteries 
and  synods  should  give  prominence  to  the  following 
subjects: 

1.  The  promotion  of  Christian  life  and  activity  in 
all  our  congregations. 

This  will  lead  to  discussions  on  the  state  of  religion ; 
on  the  efficiency  of  the  Sabbath-school  work ;  on  the 
proper  direction  and  control  of  the  various  societies 
and  organizations  of  the  church ;  and  to  helpful  con- 
ferences on  evangelistic  work.  In  all  these  depart- 
ments presbytery  should  exercise  its  supervision. 

2.  The  cultivation  of  the  territory  over  which  the 
presbytery  extends. 

fi)  By  nurturing  the  weak  congregations. 
This  is  too  much  overlooked.  Feeble  congregations 
are  left  to  themselves.  Instead  of  asking  for  needed 
supplies,  they  send  requests  for  fewer  appointments. 
Too  often  presbytery  permits  them  to  pursue  an  en- 
tirely mistaken  policy  of  retrenchment,  and  they  starve 
themselves  to  death.  Such  congregations  should  be 
the  objects  of  constant  solicitude. 

(2)     By   keeping    a   constant    outlook    for    new 
localities. 
Changes  should  all  serve  the  Church.     The  develop- 


250       PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

ments  in  business  create  new  centers  of  influence 
where  people  congregate  and  should  be  cared  for. 
Presbyters  should  be  alert  and  quick  to  discover  the 
new  spiritual  needs  and  to  provide  for  them. 

3.  Faithful  testimony  against  public  sins  and  in 
behalf  of  reforms. 

The  multiplication  of  reform  societies  outside  of, 
distinct  from,  and  independent  of,  the  Church,  is  a 
reproof  of  Church  judicatories  for  their  neglect  of 
this  important  part  of  their  work.  It  is  my  opinion 
that  such  organizations  should  be  in  vital  connection 
with  God's  great  redemptive  agency,  the  Christian 
Church.  When  Christians  of  different  denominations 
desire  to  unite  and  cooperate  for  reform,  the  organiza- 
tion should  be  effected  by  the  Church  judicatories  and 
should  report  their  work  directly  to  such  Church 
courts. 

VI 

The   Minister   Should    Carefully   Maintain    Christian 
Deportment  in  the  Courts  of  the  Lord's  House. 

1.  He  should  be  reverential  during  seasons  of 
worship. 

Things  to  be  avoided  are  such  as : 

a.  Absence   during   prayers   constituting  or   ad- 
journing the  court; 

b.  Attending  to  matters  of  business  during  devo- 
tional exercises ; 

c.  Retiring    with    committees    during    time    set 
apart  for  worship. 

2.  He  should  be  dignified  in  speech  and  behavior. 
Presbyters  should  walk  worthy  of  Christ  when  they 

are  transacting  business  in  His  name.  Let  us  bear 
in  mind  the  words  of  Paul  the  aged  to  his  son  Timo- 
thy:    "That   thou   mayest   know   how   thou   oughtest 


HIGHER  CHURCH  COURTS  251 

to  behave  thyself  in  the  house  of  God,  which  is  the 
church  of  the  Hving  God,  the  pillar  and  ground  of  the 
truth."— I  Timothy  iii,  15. 

3.     He  should  be  courteous. 

This  is  an  ornament  of  grace  to  the  minister  of  the 
Gospel  everywhere,  and  is  nowhere  more  becoming 
than  in  Church  judicatories.  Murphy  speaks  at 
length  on  this  subject  and  says:  "We  make  this  sub- 
ject very  emphatic  because  we  feel  that  there  is  great 
need  for  awakening  special  attention  to  it.  Scenes 
are  sometimes  witnessed  in  Church  courts  which  are 
a  shame  and  a  scandal  to  religion  and  which  do  incal- 
culable harm."     Young  gentlemen,  that  is  enough. 


VII 

General  Remarks. 

1.  Always  see  to  the  regular  and  timely  appoint- 
ment of  the  elder  who  is  to  attend  presbytery 
or  synod. 

This  appointment  should  be  made  long  enough  be- 
forehand to  enable  him  to  fill  the  appointment  without 
unnecessary  inconvenience. 

2.  See  that  the  certificate  of  the  delegate  is  regu- 
larly made  out  and  forwarded  in  due  time. 

Disregard  of  this  rule  on  the  part  of  pastors  and 
sessions  causes  a  needless  waste  of  time  in  making  up 
the  roll.  See  Book  of  Discipline,  p.  134,  Form  of 
Certificate;  p.  122,  Rule  6, — very  important. 

3.  Send  in  promptly  your  statistical  reports,  as  re- 
quired by  the  superior  courts. 

Carelessness  on  this  point  is  the  fruitful  source  of 
many  just  complaints  and  censures  on  the  part  of 
clerks  of  presbyteries.  Let  all  things  be  done  in  time 
as  well  as  "decently  and  in  order." 


252        PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 


vni 

Particular  Comment  on  the  Pastor's  Relation  to  His 
Presbytery. 

I  have  reserved  for  this  place  of  emphasis  what  I 
have  to  say  on  a  phase  of  our  Church  government 
which  has  been  overlooked.  I  refer  to  the  duties 
and  the  responsibilities  of  the  presbyteries. 

If  the  young  ministers  of  ten  consecutive  classes 
graduating  from  this  seminary  could  be  impressed  with 
a  sense  of  the  position  of  the  presbytery  in  the  Pres- 
byterian order  of  government  much  would  undoubt- 
edly be  done  to  restore  to  the  presbyteries  throughout 
the  Church  that  prestige  which  inheres  in  them  essen- 
tially ;  and,  as  a  natural  result,  the  Synod  would  be 
freed  from  much  of  that  business  and  supervision  and 
deadening  routine  which  stifle  the  spirit,  shorten 
the  vision,  and  thwart  the  power  of  many  of  our 
meetings  of  Synod.  In  the  matter  of  Church  govern- 
ment, young  gentlemen,  what  is  wanting  is  more  vim 
in  the  presbyteries.  And  when  the  business  there  is 
pressed  with  vigor,  Synod  will  reflect  the  dignity  and 
peace  of  the  Church's  highest  court. 

That  you  may  understand  the  importance  of  the 
presbytery,  let  me  read  you  Sections  3  and  4,  Article 
II,  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Form  of  Government: 

"The  presbytery  is  the  essential  court  of  the  Church 
in  administering  its  general  order.  ...  It  belongs  to 
the  presbytery,  by  virtue  of  the  official  authority  of  its 
members,  to  hear  and  issue  complaints  and  appeals 
from  Church  sessions,  and  references  for  advice  or 
adjudication;  to  admit  and  have  the  care  of  students 
of  theology ;  to  examine  and  license  candidates  for  the 
holy  ministry ;  to  ordain,  install,  remove,  and  try  min- 
isters of  the  Gospel ;  to  examine  and  approve  or  can- 


HIGHER  CHURCH  COURTS  253 

sure  the  records  of  Church  sessions ;  to  visit  particular 
churches  for  the  purpose  of  inquiring  into  their  state 
and  redressing  evils  which  may  have  arisen  in  them ; 
to  organize,  unite,  or  divide  congregations;  and,  in 
general,  to  order  whatever  pertains  to  the  spiritual 
welfare  and  prosperity  of  the  churches  under  its  care." 

There  is  no  doubt  as  to  the  scope  of  presbyterial 
duties  and  authority.  In  a  former  lecture  (First 
Series,  Lecture  V)  in  treating  of  the  ''Call  to  the  Pas- 
torate," reference  was  made  to  the  authority  of  the 
presbytery  in  this  matter  of  the  call.  In  order  that 
you  may  be  fully  cognizant  of  the  relation  that  exists 
between  pastor  and  presbytery,  let  me  quote  from  the 
Book  of  Discipline:  "Presbytery  judges  of  the  neces- 
sity of  removing  a  minister  from  one  congregation  to 
another."  (Page  108.)  The  United  Presbyterian 
Book  is  still  more  specific :  "Presbytery  constitutes 
the  relation  of  pastor  and  people,  acting  in  the  name 
and  by  the  authority  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
presbytery  alone  can  dissolve  it."  Again,  "If  the 
presbytery  deem  it  for  the  good  of  the  Church,"  a  call 
coming  to  a  settled  minister  may  be  presented  to  him. 
This,  of  course,  implies  that  presbytery  may  refuse  to 
present  the  call,  and  this  prerogative  is  frequently 
exercised. 

On  the  other  hand,  a  minister  cannot  be  removed 
from  one  field  to  another  without  his  own  consent.^ 

1  As  presb)rtery  cannot  constitute  the  relation  without  the 
consent  of  the  parties,  neither  can  it  dissolve  it  by  a  mere 
exercise  of  authority.  {Book  of  Discipline,  pp.  108-9.)  Both 
the  pastor  and  the  congregation  are  entitled  to  be  heard  be- 
fore a  call  from  another  congregation  is  presented  to  him. 
Hence,  in  the  case  of  a  call  on  a  settled  pastor,  the  question 
is  always  asked  whether  his  present  congregation  has  been 
duly  notified.  The  United  Presbyterian  Book  requires  that  this 
notification  be  read  from  the  pulpit  two  weeks  before  the 
meeting  of  presbytery  at  which  the  matter  is  to  be  heard.  It 
also  provides  that  *'the  presbytery  shall  always  enter  upon  its 


254       PASTOR  AND  CHURCH  COURTS 

This  then  sums  up  the  relationship  between  a  pastor 
and  his  presbytery,  and  nicely  exemplifies  that  fine 
balance  existing  between  the  authority  of  the  govern- 
ment and  the  will  of  the  governed,  in  a  Presbyterian 
form  of  government.  Everything  depends  upon  a 
rigid  adherence  to  the  forms  of  procedure,  and  no- 
where can  this  be  accomplished  so  well  as  through  the 
presbyteries. 

What  is  needed,  then,  is  a  live  leader  in  every  pres- 
bytery throughout  the  Church.  Not  a  busybody,  but 
a  spirit-filled,  devoted  worker,  one  who  has  intelli- 
gence enough  to  understand  the  prerogatives  of  Pres- 
byterian government  and  tact  enough  to  bend  the  wills 
of  the  members  to  an  orderly  procedure  in  all  the 
minor  business  that  comes  to  hand.  And  when  the 
presbyteries  are  conscientiously  bearing  the  burden  of 
routine  government,  the  meetings  of  Synod  will  be  an 
uplift  and  an  inspiration  to  the  whole  Church. 

God  grant  you,  young  men,  a  view  of  the  majesty 
of  the  court  of  God's  house  and  give  it  you  to  serve 
Him  there  with  grace  and  with  power. 

minutes  the  reasons  for  translating  a  minister ;  and,  when  the 
act  is  likely  to  give  much  dissatisfaction  to  his  people,  a  copy 
of  these  reasons  shall  be  sent  to  them  by  their  commissioners." 


END  OF  SECOND  SERIES 


THE  THIRD  SERIES 

"The  Covenanter  Vision"  will  be  divided  into  three 
parts:  (i)  The  Pastor  in  Relation  to  the  Whole 
Church  and  to  the  Kingdom  of  Christ;  (2)  The  Pas- 
tor in  Relation  to  the  World;  (3)  Distinctive  Cove- 
nanter Principles,  or,  Reasons  for  the  Existence  of 
the  Covenanter  Church. 

Included  in  this  volume  will  be  a  sermon  on  Cove- 
nanting, "The  Covenanter  Vision." 


255 


